Washington will not be able to lift many restrictions by May 4

During his Tuesday night press conference, Governor Jay Inslee revealed that the current bans and rules in place will not be lifted by the previously estimated date of May 4.

He mentioned that “the health of Washingtonians is our top priority” and that while there has been a decline in COVID-19 cases, “data tells us that if we were to lift all restrictions right now, or even two weeks from now, the decline would stop.”

Governor Inslee also remarked that the opening of the city will “look more like the spinning of a dial than the flipping of a switch.”

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Washington State currently has 12,282 cases of coronavirus, including 682 deaths.

As of Tuesday, the global known cases of COVID-19 grew past the 2,500,000 mark, according to Johns Hopkins University.