Washingtonians urged to stay close to home this holiday weekend as Covid cases spike

SEATTLE - With Covid-19 numbers on the rise and the holiday weekend coming up, health officials are worried the combination could be disastrous.

“This weekend it’s really more important than ever to stay as close to home as possible. We do want people to enjoy the outdoors, just do it closer to home,” says Dr. Kathy Lofy, Washington state’s health officer.

As the state’s top doctor, she says the rise in Covid cases in Washington is no joke. And to keep things from getting worse, the Department of Health isn’t just asking you to avoid going out of state, it goes for staycations too.

“We're really worried about COVID-19 spreading around the state if people travel across the state," Lofy says. 

Staying in your own county is ideal, and if you decide to go on a little getaway, something like a nearby camping trip with people from your household is best.

“It’s like everything is canceled,” says Kim Adams.

Adams and her husband had to cancel their 10-year anniversary trip to Hawaii. But the impact on their kids' summer break has been the hardest.

“We had a lot of stuff planned for the summer. Henry was turning 8 and we planned to go to LEGOLAND," she says. 

To deal with the stay-at-home summer blues, the Adams family is finding ways to kick back in their town of Big Lake.

“We have a carport, we put a TV outside, we'll do family outdoor movies, we go for walks.”

And for Henry’s 8th birthday, a neighborhood parade saved the day. Firetrucks and all, he felt special. Making the best of the situation is something kids across the state are having to do.

“It sucks a lot because I planned to go on this trip for over a year now,” says 17-year-old Brandon Croxen.

Brandon, a student at Auburn Riverside High School, had a school trip to Europe and a trip with the school orchestra to New York City, both cancelled. But he says he’s hopeful and staying optimistic.

He says he knows not traveling this summer may not be ideal, but if we all do our part, things will get better.

“Keep your head up, it's a hard world to live in for anybody right not…remember it will be okay sooner than later," he says.