Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday that long-term care facilities statewide will have access to widespread testing for all their residents and staff in the coming weeks.
An order issued by the state Department of Health says that all consenting residents in nursing homes will be tested within two weeks. All consenting residents in memory care facilities also will be tested, within the next four weeks. And all staff at those facilities will be required to be tested for COVID-19, except those who provide medical justification from a licensed health care provider.
This is the first step toward rapid testing that Inslee has said is necessary to more swiftly reopen the state’s economy.
“A lot of people think it’s too early, and a lot of people think it’s too late,” Inslee said of the directive. “We make our best judgments.”