Jimi’s got the goods pic.twitter.com/Ikyju7SBzE
— Margo Vansynghel (@Margo_vs) March 7, 2020
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.
- Most vulnerable: Officials say coronavirus has been confirmed at additional facilities serving the elderly. The New York Times reports on the new cases identified at another nursing home and a senior living center: In Seattle, the Ida Culver House Ravenna senior living complex, which provides independent and assisted living to about 90 people, said that one of its residents tested positive on Friday, two days after the resident was taken to a hospital. A sign in the lobby restricted nonessential visitors from entering.Meanwhile, from kingcounty.gov/covid as of Friday afternoon: Seven new cases of COVID-19 have been reported to Public Health – Seattle & King County through 11:59 p.m. on 3/5/20, bringing the total number of reported King County cases to 58. In addition, a person who was previously reported, a male in his 60s, has now died. He was not a resident of Life Care Center of Kirkland, but was a visitor. He died on 3/5/20. The total number of deaths in King County reported to Public Health is 11. Of the 58 cases, 34 are residents of or associated with Life Care Center of Kirkland. Eighteen are residents, six are staff, and 10 are visitors or family members. Of the 11 deaths reported, ten are associated with Life Care Center.
- Symptoms? Call the King County Novel Coronavirus Call Center at 206-477-3977 at between 8 AM and 7 PM. You can also call the state hotline at 800-525-0127 for general questions. More on progress on testing and small business loans in our previous update.
- Cancellations: Another theme this weekend is changings plans. We’ve already seen a ripple of large events cancel or postpone around Seattle including the Womxn’s March, Taste of Washington, and, now, Emerald City Comicon. Other changes are much more serious as important civic functions are also being put on hold. The federal U.S. Western District Court has announced it is issuing continuances in its cases over concerns about COVID-19 and being able to fill jury pools. The Seattle City Council will cancel most committee meetings:
And smaller elements of government like design reviews and public library programs have also announced cancellations and rescheduling. Equally impactful might be the smaller cancellations like the Children’s Film Festival Seattle and postponements with community and social groups. - ‘Working from home’: As we’ve previously reported, many large employers are asking employees to work from home this month. Seattle City Hall is not an exception. The City Council is directing all its “employees to work remotely to the greatest extent possible.”
- Schools: The University of Washington and Seattle University have also canceled classes and moved instruction — and finals — online or to a remote instruction environment. Seattle Public Schools continues to maintain its policy of remaining open for students and handling any issues of COVID-19 exposure on a case by case basis. The Seattle teachers union announced an agreement on employee pay and leave during the COVID-19 response:
Seattle teachers union on "Employee Pay and Leave During COVID-19" — more here https://t.co/jwQB6z4Cb4 pic.twitter.com/hzrrkbALr5
— jseattle (@jseattle) March 6, 2020
- Strange days: The responses around COVID-19 preparation and prevention have also manifested, of course, in some peculiar ways including meal delivery services…
The Seattle Freeze deepens, via Caviar delivery app pic.twitter.com/D6R9JoW3J3
— josh (@joshc) March 7, 2020
- Pot…
Seattle, March 2020: my pot shop is sending text ads encouraging me to stock up in case of a coronavirus quarantine.
— Brittney Bush Bollay (@BrittneyBush) March 7, 2020
- And karaoke…
— Rock Box (@RockBoxSeattle) March 6, 2020
- On the bright side: Not everything is canceled. Sunday, the Capitol Hill Farmers Market will go on to help locals get access to fresh produce and goods — and to make sure the vendors who depend on the sales can stay in business. Meanwhile, it is an excellent time — if you are healthy and don’t have any symptoms of a fever or cough — to help small businesses and enjoy one of the neighborhood’s economic lifebloods by going out to eat on Capitol Hill:
Folks an excellent Japanese restaurant in Capitol Hill, Adana, had 40 cancellations tonight. Go eat there if you can! It's really good!
— 🅨🅞🅤 ⓜⓤⓢⓣ 𝘣𝘦 𝖘𝖊𝖊𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼. (@ursonate) March 7, 2020
CHS COVID-19 Coverage
- 3/5/20: COVID-19 updates: King County Novel Coronavirus Call Center, increased testing, and why Seattle Schools isn’t canceling
- 3/5/20: ‘EMPLOYEES MUST WASH HANDS’ — Capitol Hill’s restaurant and nightlife economy grapples with COVID-19 worries
- 3/3/20: COVID-19 updates: Seattle ‘Civil Emergency,’ city council briefing, ‘real-time outbreak response for the Seattle epidemic’ job listings
- 3/2/20: COVID-19 updates: Weekend grocery run, county’s emergency response, patient isolation motel
- 2/29/20: With first ‘presumptive positive’ COVID-19 case in King County, here’s what officials are saying about spread and preparation — UPDATE: First U.S. death here
- More…
PLEASE HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE!
Subscribe to CHS to help us pay writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.
Thought experiment: take the estimated 2,000 people in Washington infected with Coronavirus (by March 15th) and distribute them randomly around King County (2,000,000 people).
How many people will you have to meet to have a 50% chance of meeting an infected person?
Answer: about 700.
(Excel sheet available on request)
Uk expects peak by Easter, 3-6 months of chaos. Why have everyone work from home but have their kids gather to get infected for 8 hours a day.
Not everyone can work from home, but for those who can, the risk reduction is significant.
How many parents can afford to stay home and not work if their kids are prevented from going school?
Where will kids who need free breakfast and lunch go to eat?
Which is better: Send kids out into the community or keep them in a place where they are taught and encouraged to wash their hands, where surfaces are constantly being cleaned and where the kids are monitored by trained professionals who can report symptoms quickly?
Sadly the kids don’t get symptoms and don’t get sick, so the teachers will be the first to show it. I believe one is on a ventilator in SJ already. Then giant clusters of parents. Didn’t happen in China because… school was out for Luna new year.
While it may cause difficulties, infection of the parents will sure be a bigger problem.
Kids in China, despite school being out, were exposed to plenty of adults who were infected. They think kids are getting it so infrequently for a number of reasons, not just that they weren’t in school when the outbreak started.
Italy has just closed all schools because they suspect kids are infecting parents. Children are not immune, just low level symptoms. But hey, let’s wait and find out in a month
Has Amazon sent home Amazon Go Grocery workers? You’d think if all their employees’ health were a concern, they’d shut down ALL operations, esp’y those where employees interact with the public.
You have to be close enough to a person to breath in their just coughed droplets, or touch a surface with those droplets then put your hands on your food or in your mouth, eyes or nose. Social distancing and handwashing are what will protect people, and you can do that and still work with the public. I do.
Somebody has to be there to break of the toilet paper brawls.