Washington State Governor Declares State of Emergency in Area Due to Coronavirus Spread

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2020) Governor of Washington state Jay Inslee declared on Saturday a state of emergency across the state following the announcement of the first death from the coronavirus disease, dubbed COVID-19, in the United States.

" I, Jay Inslee, Governor of the state of Washington, as a result of the above-noted situation,� ... do hereby proclaim that a State of Emergency exists in all counties in the state of Washington, and direct the plans and procedures of the Washington State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan be implemented. " the statement read.

The governor also directed state agencies and departments to " to do everything reasonably possible to assist affected political subdivisions in an effort to respond to and recover from the outbreak.

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Apart from one confirmed death, there are currently 15 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States from COVID-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 47 cases are among people repatriated to the US: three from China's Wuhan, where the current coronavirus epidemic started in December, and 44 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

On a global scale, to date, the coronavirus disease has infected over 85,000 people, of whom 2,900 have died and nearly 40,000 have recovered.