The Legislature long ago gave the executive branch sweeping power during declared emergencies. During the pandemic, Inslee implemented some of the strictest measures among the states after declaring a state of emergency at the end of February 2020.
In March 2020, with Washington at the epicenter of the first documented outbreak in the nation, the governor shut down schools, banned large public gatherings and businesses deemed nonessential. In the following months, he ordered requirements for wearing masks, set up regional metrics for reopening, and imposed vaccine mandates for health care workers and state employees.
Almost three-quarters of the orders Inslee made using emergency powers have already been removed, according to
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