President Trump approves 'major disaster' declaration for Washington state


OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday issued a disaster declaration for Washington and ordered federal assistance for the state, tribal and local response to the coronavirus outbreak that has killed dozens.

The disaster declaration will provide federal assistance for both emergency protective measures and crisis counseling, the White House said.

There have been at least 94 COVID-19 deaths in Washington state and nearly 1,800 confirmed cases.

Also, Gov. Jay Inslee named retired Navy Vice Admiral Raquel C. Bono as the director for the state’s COVID-19 Health System Response Management.

She is currently a senior fellow with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory As the former chief executive officer and director for the Defense Health Agency, Bono led a joint, integrated support agency that enabled all branches of the U.S. military medical services to provide health care to people in combat. Inslee’s appointment was effective immediately.

“Vice Admiral Bono will help bolster our existing coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic across our state’s health care system,” Inslee said.