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OLYMPIA – State officials said a proclamation announced by Gov. Jay Inslee Monday night requiring everyone to stay home in order to attempt to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus and the disease it carries COVID-19 is legal and will be enforced.

At a press conference after Inslee’s statewide address at 5:30 p.m., Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said the order is enforceable under the Revised Code of Washington (43.06.220 Section 5) as a gross misdemeanor only if that person had knowledge of the order prior to be contacted by law enforcement.

Batiste said law enforcement’s approach would not focus on handing out citations but rather educating the public that following the order was about personal safety and the safety of others. He added they would disband gatherings if needed.

“You’re helping us help them (others) stay safe,” he added.

Inslee’s proclamation requires every Washington resident to stay home unless they need to pursue an essential activity, bans all gatherings for social, spiritual and recreational purposes and closes all businesses except essential businesses. Non-essential business closures were to have happened Wednesday.

Inslee said the order would last for two weeks, but could be extended. People may continue to go outside as long as they remain at least six feet from each other.

“The less time we spend in public, the more lives we will save,” Inslee said.

Inslee’s Chief of Staff David Postman said the order is not a shelter in place order, which he said is described as pertaining to natural disasters, hurricanes and active shooter situations. In coming up with the proclamation, Postman said they consulted with many organizations and individuals including health care, labor, business and legislative representatives.

Department of Commerce Director Lisa Brown ticked off a list of categories essential businesses would fall under: Health care and public health, emergency services, food production and agriculture, energy and infrastructure, transportation and logistics, communications and information technology, financial services and manufacturers who are integral part of supplying the health care system. Workers in these businesses will be asked to conduct their activity with health, safety and their well-being paramount.

“Simply carry out the activity with as much safety and social distancing as possible,” Brown said.

Washington Secretary of Health Dr. John Weissman said residents should not be traveling about the state in search of activities or to visit with friends or family. Social distancing plays an important part in slowing the spread of COVID-19, without which Weissman said projections show that one infected could then infect 2-3 others.

“Without social distancing this just keeps spreading like wildfire,” Weissman said.

Weissman said officials will be looking at case counts to see if the order is being effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19. That data won’t materialize for another couple of weeks as someone infected today would have up to 14 days before symptoms of the disease began to appear.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].