The Washington State Board of Health has proposed several revisions to its Communicable and Certain Other Diseases act. The revisions are documented in what is called WAC 246-100-040, which suggests to include new COVID protocol under the said act. The revision involves "procedures for isolation or quarantine," which would allow health officers to "issue an emergency detention order causing a person or group of persons to be immediately detained for purposes of isolation or quarantine."
According to The Gateway Pundit, the proposed revision will require health officers to provide documentation that prove unvaccinated citizens who are subjected for detention have denied "requests for medical examination, testing, treatment, counseling, vaccination," among other things prior to involuntary confinement in quarantine facilities. In addition, the amended law will empower health officers to call upon law enforcement officials to assist with the execution of the law.
WAC 246-100-040 states that local health officers in Washington "may invoke the powers of police officers, sheriffs," and other law enforcement with the health department to "enforce immediately" the orders in accordance with the provisions in the state's laws regarding public health.
The "emergency detention order" makes it legal for the authorities to isolate and detain American citizens who fail to comply with COVID vaccination mandates. The proposal suggests an isolation period of up to 10 days. However, a local health officer may petition the superior court for an order authorizing the continued isolation or quarantine...for a period up to thirty days."
WAC 246-100-040 was first certified on October 25, 2019, interestingly way before the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. The Washington State Board of Health is set to conduct a virtual public meeting on January 12 to discuss how the law will be applied.
The proposal by health authorities in Washington to detain unvaccinated people in isolation facilities appears to be related to a job posting at governmentjobs.com which appeared back in September, saying that the government is in need of "isolation and quarantine strike team consultants" in the state of Washington.
These strike team consultants will be tasked to "[provide] guest transport to and from the facility," and "[prep] the facility to receive guests, ensuring rooms are stocked and have been properly cleaned," among several other administrative and operational tasks and responsibilities.
These efforts come after Washington state saw a 146% increase in COVID cases in the past week and 46% increase in daily COVID hospitalizations due to the spread of the coronavirus' Omicron variant. Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee warned that "now is the time to re-double our efforts against the virus."
The Washington State Board of Health, however, has denied that the discussion on WAC 246-100-040 during the upcoming meeting is not for COVID. the Board told KQH Q6 that "while related to rulemaking on chapter 246-100 WAC, is scoped only to the implementation of ESHB 1551...and does not include changes to isolation and quarantine policies nor does it suggest law enforcement be used to enforce any vaccination requirements."
