On November 25, 2020, the Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, made a new Proclamation (20-24.2) regarding the provision of non-urgent health care in response to current COVID-19 concerns. This proclamation amends Proclamations 20-05 and 20-24, made in February and March 2020 regarding stay-at-home orders and phased re-openings. It goes into effect on December 3, 2020. The proclamation specifies criteria for the continuation, resumption, and discontinuation of non-urgent medical and dental procedures.
It is vital that every health care provider in Washington read and follow the entire Proclamation available here: https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/proclamations/proc_20-24.2.pdf. There is a significant amount of detail that providers should become familiar with specific to the services provided, geographic area, use of PPE, testing, and more. It is likely that the Washington State Department of Health (WADOH) will provide further clarification for healthcare professionals in Washington state. For their current COVID-19 guidance visit https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19. WADOH has a special COVID-19 section for healthcare providers at https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/HealthcareProviders.
Additional guidance may come from state licensing boards. Providers with questions about how this proclamation will affect the care delivery are encouraged to reach out the Washington State Department of Health or the appropriate licensing board.