Former Governor Christine Gregoire and a group of leading corporate executives are urging Governor Inslee and state legislative leaders to expand the state’s COVID-19 recovery plan to better address its economic and social impacts.
The letter signed by Governor Gregoire, the CEO of Challenge Seattle, highlighted six needs to reduce the social and economic impacts of the pandemic, including more resources for coronavirus testing and contact tracing, additional state aid for struggling businesses and a return of children to school in January if public health metrics show it is safe.
“We need to respond to the pandemic now, with a sense of urgency, on both public-health and safety,” Gregoire wrote. “But also on the social and economic consequences to our community.”
Challenge Seattle is an alliance of CEOs from prominent businesses in the state, including Microsoft, Boeing, Nordstrom, Alaska Airlines, REI, Starbucks, Weyerhaeuser, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Since infections first surfaced in Washington State, business leaders have expressed concern about the impact of COVID safety orders on businesses and the workers who have lost their jobs.
