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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Yesterday was National Nurses Day, and May 6-12 is National Nurses Week, and I cannot think of a more timely and important celebration for such essential first responders. Nurses are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, and while it’s important to recognize and appreciate nurses every day, I encourage you all to reach out to the nurses you know with sentiments of support and appreciation this week especially.
On Tuesday, in the Committee of the Whole, the Council held a robust debate on the second COVID-19 supplemental budget, of which I am the lead sponsor in my being the Budget Chair. Members of the public gave unanimous support in their testimony, particularly around the component designed to help our tourism promotion sector and what draws visitors to our region, in particular our arts, culture, heritage and science institutions and organizations. and tourism sectors.
I appreciate Executive Constantine for transmitting the legislation to us, which also will assist our small businesses and chambers throughout the County. We passed several amendments on the dais before the Council voted 7-2 in favor of my striking amendment. We’re continuing to work on perfecting the legislation leading to what I hope will be a unanimous vote to pass it from Council this coming Tuesday. This is very important legislation to help get people back to work and kick-start our economic recovery. You can watch a replay of the proceedings by clicking the following link: http://king.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=8127
The rest of this e-newsletter is meant to provide you with an update on some of the other issues on which I’ve been working as well as helpful information related to the COVID-19 crisis. You can now read previous updates I sent out on an archive page so you can find any information you may have missed. I have been sending updates every day since March 1 (sometimes more than one in a day). Click here to visit the archive page.
As always, I would like to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or comments. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or you can reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
All the best,
Latest numbers from Public Health
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health is reporting 93 new positive cases of COVID-19 in King County (6,863 total) and 6 new COVID-19-related deaths (480 total). Again, as I’ve been indicating for the past few days, we are basically continuing on a plateau but with fewer numbers than a while back.
As of May 5, there were 15,905 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide and 870 related deaths. (Note: We do not receive the statewide data daily in time to include in our daily enews.)
Detailed information about demographics of those who died from COVID-19 are available on Public Health’s data dashboard. And, interestingly, you can click on your zip code to learn of the number of “positive” cases and fatalities where you reside.
Also, and again, here is an excellent website that offers real-time COVID-19 data in clear formats, broken down by country and state: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
 
DOH issues statement on "coronavirus parties"
Washington State Department of Health officials are alarmed by reports of “coronavirus parties” in which uninfected people are mingling with COVID-19 positive individuals to try to contract the virus.
“Gathering in groups in the midst of this pandemic can be incredibly dangerous and puts people at increased risk for hospitalization and even death,” John Wiesman, Washington State Secretary of Health said. "Furthermore, it is unknown if people who recover from COVID-19 have long-term protection. There is still a lot we don’t know about this virus, including any long-term health issues which may occur after infection. This kind of unnecessary behavior may create a preventable uptick in cases which further slows our state's ability to gradually re-open.” DOH encourages every Washingtonian to continue to follow Governor Inslee's Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.
New mental health and coping infographics
 Several new infographics have been developed to help residents cope with various COVID-19 challenges. All of the infographics can be found on the state’s coronavirus.wa.gov website under the Partner Toolkit here: https://coronavirus.wa.gov/spread-facts/partner-toolkit/infographics-color
The new ones are:
Inslee issues guidance for vehicle and vessel sales, drive-in religious services
Gov. Jay Inslee issued guidance yesterday for vehicle and vessel sales, and drive-in religious services allowed under the Safe Start Phase 1 recovery plan laid out earlier this week. Through the Washington "Safe Start" plan, more businesses and activities will re-open in subsequent phases with adequate social distancing measures and worker safety and health standards in place. Each phase will be at least three weeks — metrics and data will guide when the state can move from one phase to another.
One of the first industries to re-open under Phase 1 is vehicle and vessel sales.
“This guidance is the work of a strong collaborative process between my office and the industry,” Inslee said. "Here is a great example of vehicle and vessels sales dealerships leading the way to ensure the opening of their businesses puts the health and safety needs of their employees and customers first.”
Memo: Resuming Vehicle Sales
Frequently asked questions on vehicle and vessel sales
Vehicle and vessel sales proclamation
Inslee also released guidance yesterday allowing religious, spiritual and faith-based organizations the ability to conduct drive-in services.
“Faith is so important at all times, but especially during times of crisis and difficulty. This unique drive-in service option will allow people to come together,” Inslee said. “Our goal has always been to keep Washingtonians safe and healthy, and this option allows them to do that while participating in religious, spiritual and faith-based activities.”
Religious, spiritual, and faith-based drive-in guidance
Additional helpful and informative links
Today's moment of levity
For today’s moment of levity, I’m glad to be able to feature this inspiring story about D4 constituent, Andrew Hughes. Coronavirus may have cancelled his plans to summit Mt. Everest but isn’t letting that stop him completely. For more on Andrew’s adventure, read the full article here.
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my update. You can expect these to continue being sent out on a daily basis, sometimes more than one. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.
Finally, to prevent these updates from going straight to spam or junk folders, I encourage you to mark this email address as a “safe sender” 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.
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