It’s over… finally! Halloween officially marked the end of Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s seemingly unending Emergency COVID Declaration… more than two years after he declared it. The governor said that October 31st was the last day of the emergency declaration, that was originally made way back on February 29th, 2020, when Inslee ordered people to shelter in place and schools to close. Since then, there have been vaccine and mask mandates. Some Republican legislators marked the irony of the end of all the restrictions coming on Halloween Day, saying the emergency declaration was actually more trick than treat in terms of good governance. Senator Lynda Wilson of Vancouver, released a statement saying “Under current law we can’t touch orders that prohibit activities like in-person classroom instruction, gathering with loved ones and engaging in normal business practices. That needs to change.” Senator John Braun agreed, saying “Ending the state of emergency is long overdue.” The Senate Republican leader said “Washington was under one-man rule for 975 days.”
