2021 in Washington will begin with the restrictions of 2020 still in place as the surge in new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19 has continued.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday he would extend through January 4th the restrictions put in place before Thanksgiving on social gatherings and businesses to try to slow the spread of the virus.

“What we do between now — when COVID activity is still at crisis levels — and the time when vaccines are widely available, is literally a matter of life and death,” Inslee said Tuesday.

New cases have continued at high levels in Washington and King County. Here, some 700 new cases are reported daily (PDF), with around 50 hospitalizations and deaths approaching 10 every day.

The county says around 80% of its hospital beds are currently full — the threshold it considers a key danger point for the region’s health care system readiness.

Indoor gatherings with people outside your household require a one-week quarantine and negative tests for all participants.

Officials have also discouraged travel and asked anybody planning to fly to include a 14-day quarantine in their plans.

Indoor service at restaurants and bars remains prohibited and outdoor seating is limited to parties of five or fewer. Gyms, indoor facilities like bowling alleys, and venues like museums are closed.

Inslee also announced another $50 million in  Working Washington grants to try to help the state’s businesses weather the continued restrictions. The governor also said the state is ready to step in if Congress fails to extend the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funding in the CARES Act by the end of the year.

6% of the state’s workers were unemployed in October — 50% higher than last year.

Officials had feared a new surge in cases after Thanksgiving gatherings. A report on exposure in King County showed the most commonly reported environments for transmission after “household” are “community and social gatherings” followed by “non-healthcare workplace” indicating many people are becoming sick from meeting with people outside their households or going to work.

While it’s not clear what if any Thanksgiving surge will emerge, worries will continue through the holiday season into New Year’s.

About 2% of people who have caught the virus have died. So far, King County has lost 903 people to COVID-19 related deaths including nine more reported in the latest daily tally.

Another concern comes at King County Jail where 16 new cases were confirmed over the weekend and officials say the outbreak appears to have stemmed from the first infection to happen while a person was in custody — all inmates have been tested upon initial entry, and those who tested positive were medically isolated since March, jail officials said.

Washington, meanwhile, is hopeful that adding a service here that other states have found useful along with increased testing will help slow the spread. The WA Notify system allows people to track possible exposures with their phone.

New testing options are also coming online. Seattle is adding new “walk-up testing kiosks” from Curative that are hoped to add capacity of around 1,000 tests a day in the city. Garfield Community Center has hosted the first test of the kiosks in our area.

Currently, the City of Seattle says it is conducting from 5,500 tests – 6,000 tests per day at the four Citywide testing sites.

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