Governor Jay Inslee is issuing a mandatory "stay-at-home" order for Washington state to fight the coronavirus.
Inslee says the order is enforceable by law.
The ban includes all gatherings and closures of non-essential businesses.
Effective immediately, all Washingtonians must stay home unless they are pursuing an essential activity.
Those include:
- Grocery shopping
- Doctor appointments
- Essential work duty
This order doesn't prohibit anyone from going outside.
"This has been a very difficult choice. The fastest way to get back to normal is to hit this hard."
There are more than 2,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state with over 100 deaths.