Friend,

Early this week, I made an incredibly tough decision.

Washington state is seeing daily COVID case counts increase significantly, with more than 2,000 cases per day over the weekend and average cases throughout the state doubling over the past two weeks. To keep citizens safe and to stop this escalation, I put in place a set of four-week statewide public health measures to slow the spread, not just in Washington but across the country.

We know the decisions we make here affect the rest of the United States, and we know that what we're facing here in Washington is not unique. Over the past week, the country has seen an average of nearly 160,000 COVID cases per day, an increase of nearly 80% from the average just two weeks ago. And sadly, we just passed a grim milestone as a country by surpassing more than 250,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Now, we're a week away from Thanksgiving, one of our country's most treasured holidays and a time many of us normally gather close with our loved ones. This year will be different: Celebrations will have to be much smaller, and hundreds of thousands of tables will have empty chairs, signifying the grave losses we've endured this year.

Trudi and I will be celebrating alone, checking in with loved ones virtually throughout the day and dinner. We sacrifice this year so we can have many more Thanksgivings in the years to come, and it's a sacrifice to not just protect our own families but our entire communities and country.

Every single day medical advances are putting us closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. But I know this is hard -- I can't sugarcoat that. But if we make these sacrifices now, hopefully we'll be able to gather together safely once again next year, and we will have so much to be thankful for when everyone we love is at the holiday table.

Our public health measures in Washington state may not be the same where you are, but we think they're practical measures all Americans can follow. Visit our COVID-19 response website to read more about how you can protect yourself and your loved ones this holiday season, no matter where you are.

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I hope you stay safe this holiday season. I'm thankful for you and already looking forward to next year's Thanksgiving.

Very truly yours,

Jay


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