Inslee Orders Schools to Adopt CDC 3 foot School Distancing

"...(introducing) new guidelines that are safe..." Gov. Inslee.

Thursday afternoon, Gov. Inslee greenlighted the CDC guidelines for reducing the school distance social distancing rom 6 to 3 feet. Six days ago, the CDC said states with schools 'in session' in person should reduce the distance.

We say greenlighting, because Richland, Pasco and Kennewick voted this week to prepare models for students to return to class fulltime M-F by mid April.

Their school board votes and decisions were predicated by the state approving this 3 foot reduction.

Inslee said the order takes place immediately, school boards can now make the appropriate decisions. He said children have been experiencing tremendous mental health and other challenges, and this will allow districts all over the state to open up more.

He said safe practices will continue to need to be in place, including mask use.  Heading into Thursday, Washington state will being shown by national tracking media and research firms as having only 28.5 percent of all K-12 students in some sort of in person education.

That ratio is much higher on the East side than the west. As we said earlier, Richland, Pasco and Kennewick all voted to allow full return to school for K-12.

Area districts will now proceed with the models, or plans, they began to create this week for all students to return to 'normal.'

Any parents who wish for their child to remain in remote learning, that option will continue through their respective districts.

Inslee also talked about vaccination efforts, saying the state has expected to have given 3 million vaccines as of this week. He said 97 percent of the vaccines allocated to WA state have been administered to people.