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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
In this COVID-19 update you will find information on the following topics:
- New state coronavirus website
- Special grocery store hours for seniors and at-risk shoppers
- Press conference tomorrow for faith community
- Latest from Public Health
- Info on quarantine site in District Four
- And more!
I want you all to be aware of a brand-new website launched by the state that can be considered the definitive, comprehensive source for information on coronavirus. You can find links to official information from a wide range of trusted sources, including government and community services. Visit the site here. Remember, the best thing we can do as individuals is stay informed – especially since this is a constantly evolving situation. This website will be a great resource for the most up-to-the-minute information.
Yesterday I mentioned actions we are taking to help people at the county-level during the COVID-19 crisis. In addition to the items I mentioned, the King County Office of Equity and Social Justice released criteria for community-based organizations to apply for grants up to $25,000 to fund outreach, education, and community engagement in these critical areas: language access, health literacy, cultural sensitivity, community and ethnic media outreach, and anti-bias and stigma resources.
The grants are funded by $1 million that my Council colleagues and I voted to approve as part of emergency funding for the county’s COVID-19 response. You can read more information on the program here.
If you’ve missed any of my earlier updates, please know we have been compiling resources to help people with financial needs during this unprecedented time. You can find all of the resources on the King County Council website, including options to download each page as a PDF if you would like to share it with others or keep it handy.
To find updates on the outbreak numbers and other helpful information, visit the Public Health – Seattle & King County coronavirus page and read updates from Public Health on the Public Health Insider blog.
Special grocery store hours for seniors, at-risk shoppers
Many grocery stores across King County—including Safeway, Whole Foods, Target, and Uwajimaya—have announced special times of day where only seniors and at-risk people can shop. My staff has compiled a partial list of participating stores and hours on our website. Please remember to adhere to current health guidelines when going out in public.
Information for faith communities
Public Health – Seattle & King County Director Patty Hayes will join representatives across faith communities for a press conference Friday morning at 10 a.m. to call for unity and connection while maintaining social distancing recommendations. You can watch here.
Faith-based leaders will share their actions for modeling modified religious practices and gatherings in their communities while serving as critical sources of support in King County.
Metro reduces service hours
In response to a significant drop in ridership, King County Metro is reducing service hours throughout its system. These reductions are necessary and are aimed to keep the system resilient and ready to ramp back up once the crisis is over. You can read more about the changes and how they may impact your routes by clicking the following link: https://kingcountymetro.blog/2020/03/18/covid-19-update-metro-plans-to-temporarily-reduce-service-starting-monday-march-23-to-support-the-health-of-the-community/
Latest data from Public Health
Public Health – Seattle & King County is reporting the following confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 3/18/20.
- 693 confirmed cases (up 131 from yesterday)
- 60 confirmed deaths (up 4 from yesterday)
These additional deaths include:
- A man in his 60s, who died on 3/18
- A woman in her 80s, who died on 3/14
- A woman in her 90s, who died on 3/17 at Overlake Medical Center
- A woman in her 70s, who died on 3/17 at Overlake Medical Center
Of the 60 deaths reported, 35 are confirmed to be associated with Life Care Center of Kirkland.
There are now 1,376 reported COVID-19 cases and 74 confirmed deaths statewide.
Quarantine sites in D4
As you may know, King County is in the process of setting up quarantine centers across the region to help stop the spread of the virus. These centers will house those in need such as: first responders (EMTs, firefighters, etc.) working with affected individuals, unstably housed people, people traveling into King County from out of state or country, people affected who live with vulnerable family members and those who can’t be isolated such as college students living in dorm housing.
There are two sites that have been identified in District Four: one site in the Bitter Lake/Haller Lake neighborhood that hosts six modular units with four separate rooms per unit for a total occupancy of 24 people, and a site on Elliott Ave in the Interbay neighborhood that can host enough modular units to accommodate 72 people. The Interbay site is not expected to open until April.
Weekly community briefing calls are hosted by King County staff from Public Health Seattle/King County, the County Executive’s office, the Department of Local Services and the Office of Equity and Social Justice. As a key strategy in slowing the spread of the virus, staff have been working tirelessly to get these sites up and running as soon as possible. To respond to your questions and concerns in this rapidly changing environment, the community briefing calls are an opportunity for members of the community to voice concerns, learn about the precautions and steps being taken to ensure the safety of the community, and for King County staff to learn how the community would like to be kept up-to-date moving forward.
The details for the weekly scheduled call for these two Seattle sites are below:
Date: Weekly, every Wednesday, starting Wednesday, 3/18
Time: 10am – 10:30am
Format: Due to Public Health Guidance encouraging social distancing, this meeting is being conducted virtually via Skype.
Contact information: https://meet.kingcounty.gov/mpadillaocampo/8F31HW30
For those unable to join via Skype, please call 1.206.263.8114 and enter access code 9782462#
Helpful and hopeful poem
I found this poem to be especially moving, illuminating the deeper call to us all in this unprecedented time in our lives. Truly, I hope we connect as a global community, deeper and more cooperatively than ever before. Good can come of this.
Pandemic
What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath— the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Center down. And when your body has become still, reach out with your heart. Know that we are connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful. (You could hardly deny it now.) Know that our lives are in one another’s hands. (Surely, that has come clear.) Do not reach out your hands. Reach out your heart. Reach out your words. Reach out all the tendrils of compassion that move, invisibly, where we cannot touch. Promise this world your love– for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, so long as we all shall live. –Lynn Ungar 3/11/20
http://www.lynnungar.com/poems/pandemic/
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my update. You can expect ones to continue being sent out on a daily basis. Feel free too forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.
Also, let me know if you have ideas or tips for getting though these difficult times. Whether it’s an idea for staying healthy, keeping your sanity when self-quarantining or isolating, or unique ideas for those who work from home - we want to hear from you!
Finally, to prevent these updates from going straight to spam or junk folders, I encourage you to whitelist these emails by adding the email address to your contacts or address book. And be sure to check your spam folder if you think you may have missed an update.
And please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns and, most importantly, be well.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Kohl-Welles
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