Here are the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak and response around the Seattle region, Capitol Hill, and the Central District. See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959.

• No evictions: Responding to pressure from District 3 representative Kshama Sawant and in the wake of Friday’s declaration of National Emergency, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced plans for an Emergency Order for a temporary moratorium on residential evictions in Seattle. “With the President’s national emergency declaration, I will be taking additional actions in the coming days focused on more relief for our workers and individuals hardest hit by this emergency, including a moratorium on residential evictions,” Durkan said. “We cannot let individuals lose their homes or go hungry at this critical time. Over the coming days, we will announce more support from the City for individuals and families and be prepared to connect more individuals with other non-profit and philanthropic resources.” Durkan also said she was “deeply concerned” the federal declaration doesn’t make “direct financial assistance to individuals, which is a lifeline for people in so many disasters.” Earlier this week, Sawant called on Durkan to “o help Seattle’s renters, homeowners, and struggling small businesses from the ravages of the Coronavirus crisis.” “Seattle must act by immediately stopping evictions and foreclosures, by requiring tenants and homeowners be given time to make up their payment obligations, and by requiring landlords to extend expiring leases,” Sawant said.
• More prohibitions and cancellations including farmers markets: The City of Seattle moved to further encourage “social distancing” Friday by suspending all events permits including for recurring gatherings like the weekly Sunday farmers market on Capitol Hill. CHS reported on last week’s decision to keep the market open both for the benefit of neighborhood shoppers looking for fresh food and goods and also the many farmers and vendors who depend on the markets for their livelihoods. With the suspension of event permits, markets and events are canceled through at least mid April. The city says it is working to assist farmers markets vendors through the previously announced expansion of Seattle’s Small Business Stabilization Fund that focuses on small businesses with five or fewer employees and  “historically underserved communities like immigrants and refugees, communities of color, and business owners who speak a language.” The Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance is looking at possible alternatives including deliveries of pickups from vendors. You can also donate to the Good Farmer Fund to help.
• Metro ridership: That graph at the top of the post comes from King County Metro where officials say daily ridership totals show that efforts to “flatten the curve” on the spread of COVID-19 in the region are working.
  King County Metro has analyzed preliminary estimates and extrapolations to create an unofficial estimate of ridership. The results show an estimated 45% reduction in Metro bus ridership ­– or a drop of 185,000 riders, from an estimated 415,000 to 230,000 – on Thursday, March 12, compared to this time in 2019.
  “Routes with the greatest changes in the number of riders include RapidRide routes, which generally have the highest ridership and most frequent service across the transit system,” Metro notes. It also predicts ridership to continue to fall.
• Restaurants, too: Here’s a look at year over year reservation data for Seattle from the OpenTable system:

Toilet paper aisle in a QFC in Capitol Hill, Seattle. Note the security cam (upper right) making sure people don't take more than their fair share pic.twitter.com/OyLfgyvjW2

— Jill Scharr (@JillScharr) March 13, 2020

• Fundraising for SIFF workers: With SIFF’s Egyptian Theater forced to close during the COVID-19 response, a fund has been set up to benefit the cinema’s workers:
  Many of us live paycheck-to-paycheck already, so losing all income and health insurance during a crisis like this is incomprehensible. As the cinema staffs at the Egyptian, Uptown, and Film Center, we are committed to each other and to helping each other through these difficult times. This fund will be used for immediate emergency needs, including groceries, rent, and healthcare. We will distribute it equitably between ~30 staff based on needs.
• Stranger layoffs: Capitol Hill-headquartered The Stranger announced it has “temporarily” laid off 18 people and will suspend its print edition due to the financial impact of event cancellations and the wave of restaurant, bar, and shop closures and cutbacks. “Ninety percent of The Stranger’s revenue comes from people being able to gather in public—in rock clubs, theaters, museums, restaurants, bars, etc.—and many of our advertisers are shutting down operations as social-distancing measures go into effect across the region,” Stranger veteran Christopher Frizzelle writes.
• Delivery and pickups: The roster of Capitol Hill area bars and restaurants that have temporarily closed has grown but many others are hoping to stay in business by ramping up delivery and takeout efforts. Check in on your favorites.

Another way Hill restaurants are responding to continue serving social-distancing customers — discounts on takeout and free delivery pic.twitter.com/2Yg1is9jFQ

— jseattle (@jseattle) March 13, 2020

• Schools closed also means no testing: With schools shut down into late April at least, the push against standardized testing will also achieve a temporary victory. No state testing this year:
  OSPI is canceling all state testing for the 2019–20 school year. This includes the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA), the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS), the Washington Access to Instruction and Measurement (WA-AIM), and WIDA Alternate ACCESS for English learners.
• Courts: The foundations of government continue to be shaken and cracked by the response. Seattle Municipal Court announced it is significantly limiting court operations until at least April 12. “All non-mandatory hearings for out-of-custody individuals will be continued to the next available court date no sooner than April 13, 2020. All case participants will receive written notice of their next court date,” the announcement reads.
• Across the nation: What’s happening as the presence of the virus becomes apparent across the country? Widely followed Fred Hutch scientist Trevor Bedford explains:

This is a thread about how to interpret the seemingly sudden appearance of #COVID19 across the much of the US in the past week with some back-of-the-envelop calculations for number of current infections. 1/13 pic.twitter.com/QbzRbRVheS

— Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) March 14, 2020

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