Gov. Inslee orders sweeping restrictions on indoor gatherings, restaurants, bars, gyms as COVID-19 cases surge in Washington state

In King County, more than 500 nurses wrote a public letter, pleading with the public to wear masks, avoid gatherings and reduce travel.

“I am seeing my hospital start to fill up again with COVID-19 cases,” said Teresa Wren, a labor and delivery nurse at University of Washington Medical Center. “While we’re not at a crisis point yet, we need to come together as a community — once again — to flatten the curve so that our hospitals aren’t overwhelmed.”

Clint Wallace, a nurse at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, said intensive care units were as busy as he had ever seen them in 20 years. Health care workers, he said, were on the verge of burn out.

“We are exhausted, we are tired,” Wallace said. “We need help, we need everybody’s help.”