“Inslee says age 65-plus should not go to work unless they’re in “essential” jobs”

“Addressing nearly 14,000 people at an AARP tele-town hall about the coronavirus, Gov. Jay Inslee strongly encouraged Washington residents who are 65 years old or above to not go to work unless they provide essential services such as health care or emergency response.

“‘If you can work from home, that’s tremendous. But if you cannot, you really should not be going into an exposure situation right now,’ the governor said Saturday. ‘I have not issued a legally-binding order in this regard. I prefer to make an attempt to encourage Washingtonians to volunteer for this effort and we’ve had some, but we’ve not had enough.’

“The governor said he is working on a measure to ensure that workers who are 65 years old or above have a legal right and the financial means to leave the workplace and “self-isolate” for the remainder of the outbreak.

“Inslee, state Secretary of Health John Wiesman and Attorney General Bob Ferguson answered questions for nearly 90 minutes from about a dozen of the 13,954 people people who dialed into the tele-town hall,” by James Drew, The Olympian. Read more

Blogger Klein is a 15 year AARP member.