Earlier today, Governor Inslee released updates to Proclamation 20-24.2 “Reducing Restrictions on, and Safe Expansion of, Non-Urgent Medical and Dental Procedures.” These updates go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on December 3, 2020. This revised Proclamation, which has not been revised since May, includes references to updated guidelines and resources that have changed over the last several months.

Proclamation 20-24.2 does not enact any additional restriction or limitation on the delivery of dental care or health care more broadly. Instead, the Governor’s Office is empowering health care providers to self-regulate capacity for care based upon parameters outlined in the proclamation.

A detailed summary of Proclamation 20-24.2 is available for all WSDA members here.

As we continue to work our way through this pandemic, we must continue to exercise good judgement when determining how to provide necessary dental care within the context of our patients’ needs, our area-specific COVID-19 disease burden, PPE supply, and the health care capabilities and capacity of our local communities. A one-size-fits-all approach is not the right path going forward.

The safety of our patients and our teams is our foremost concern. We applaud everyone following guidance from the ADA and CDC. According to a recent statement from the ADA, these efforts are working at keeping everyone safe:

To date, according to the CDC, there has been no documented transmission of COVID-19 in a clinical dental setting. Additionally, a study published in The Journal of the American Dental Association found the prevalence of COVID-19 among dentists to be less than one percent. Researchers from the ADA Science and Research Institute and the ADA Health Policy Institute are continuing to collect infection rate data among dentists and have added dental hygienists to the research as well. The preliminary data suggest the monthly incidence rate among dentists has remained below one percent. Conclusive data from a six-month period will be part of an upcoming publication.

Over the last several weeks, WSDA leadership has been actively involved in discussions with the Governor’s Office, Department of Health, and other health care organizations to update this proclamation. The updated proclamation speaks to strong advocacy of many organizations diligently working to help the health care community provide optimal care during suboptimal times. We will not let up in our advocacy for you and your patients.