OLYMPIA — The spread of COVID-19 is likely declining in Washington, but the state isn’t going to “flip the switch” on orders to stay at home or away from work, Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday.

“It will look more like the turning of the dial,” he said in a statewide address.”We will not be able to lift many of the restrictions by May 4. And we will let you know when we can lift restrictions as soon as we know.”

That could include changes in the near future to allow some elective surgeries to resume, after being stopped to conserve protective supplies for medical staff treating patients with the virus. It could also allow more outdoor activity, which has been restricted by the closing of state parks and bans on hunting and fishing.

“Because of the collaborative work my office has been able to do with the construction industry and labor unions, we have come up with a sensible plan for allowing limited return to construction with safety measures in place,” Inslee added. “We hope to implement it very soon.”

Restrictions began in February after the nation’s first cases of COVID-19 appeared in Washington. Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order for people who aren’t in essential jobs has been in place since late March and currently extends through May 4.

On Sunday, some 2,000 protesters gathered at the State Capitol, demanding to be allowed to make their own decisions about whether to return to work or attend gatherings.

Inslee’s “roadmap” for relaxing restrictions relies heavily on data being collected and studied by health care officials. Those restrictions can be modified in the coming weeks if the data holds, but the health of state residents is the top priority, he said.

“The data tell us that if we were to lift all restrictions right now — or even two weeks from now — this decline will almost certainly stop and the spread of COVID-19 will go up,” he said.

To make sure the recovery holds up, the state needs enough test equipment to test as many as 30,000 people a day. It currently tests about 4,000.

It will also need as many as 1,500 people to do “contact tracing” of people who test positive for the virus.