Dear Community,
I write today at the end of a long week. A week marked by community uprising expressing anger, pain, exhaustion and, importantly, the need and demand for change. I acknowledge that the notes we’ve written in these newsletters are insufficient to convey the magnitude of what’s happening right now. But what I hope you’ve seen is that I hear you, I see you, and I stand ready to act in my role as a King County Councilmember.
My office has received an overwhelming amount of emails, and I can promise you we’re working through them. Looking forward, one of the most important opportunities I have as your representative in effecting change is as Budget Chair while we work through the 2021-2022 biennial budget for King County later this fall -- and also as we have been taking up special emergency Covid omnibus budgets, the third of which will be when the Executive transmits his proposal next Thursday. I intend that we can work together in passing a budget that reflects progressive, anti-racist policies that will effect real change in communities across the County. I look forward to continuing to work with advocacy and community-based organizations as well as with those of you interested in building these reforms. I welcome you to forward me your recommendations to jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
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) but having gone to Monday-Friday and not weekends since about three weeks ago 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 56 new positive cases of COVID-19 in King County (8333 total) and 2 new COVID-19-related deaths (564 total). While I’m pleased the numbers are not higher, I advise everyone to continue following guidelines to be as safe as possible.
As of today, there are 24,019 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide and 1,150 related deaths.
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
(A note regarding data sources: The graphs included below are based solely on the daily announced totals from Public Health. They do not take into account that announced cases on a given day are typically diagnosed during previous days. Corrections or adjustments by Public Health that change prior daily totals are not reflected. Moving averages ignore days where data were not available.)
   
 Restaurants, retail, and others to reopen as King County enters Phase 1.5
This morning I was informed that our application to move King County into a new phase in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was approved by state regulators.
Approval of our plan immediately limited and modified openings for a wide range of businesses, recreation, and personal activities in King County.
This means our restaurants and retailers will be allowed to serve customers in their establishment within certain restrictions. At the same time, the plan calls for local public health officials to monitor transmission trends, medical capacity and other key indicators to help inform further reopening decisions.
Here is an overview of what’s happening in key sectors across King County:
Restaurants
- Outdoor dining activities are allowed at 50% of capacity with all tables and chairs maintaining 6 feet of distance, though additional seating will be allowed provided it follows public health guidelines. Restaurants will also need to go through the normal process within their city - or King County if the establishment is located within unincorporated King County - to seek approval to expand outdoor seating.
- Indoor dining services may operate at 25% of capacity, provided tables and chairs are more than 6 feet away from each other.
In-store Retail
- All non-essential retail activities may operate but an establishment's occupancy may not be not be higher than 15% of capacity.
- Businesses are directed to provide signage encouraging indoor visits to less than 30 minutes, with face-to-face interactions limited to 30 minutes.
- Essential retail activities may continue to operate according to the existing state regulations.
Personal services: Cosmetologists, Hairstylists, Barbers, Estheticians, Master Estheticians, Manicurists, Nail Salon Workers, Electrologists, Permanent Makeup Artists, Tattoo Artists, Cosmetology Schools and Esthetics Schools
- All activities may operate but the number of clients served will be limited to no more than 25% of capacity or one person if it is a single bed/chair studio.
Professional services: Accountants, architects, attorneys, engineers, financial advisors, information technologists, insurance agents, tax preparers, and other office-based occupations that are typically serving a client base
- All activities allowed but an establishment's occupancy should not be higher than 25% of capacity.
- Businesses are directed to provide signage encouraging indoor visits to be less than 30 minutes, with face to face interactions limited to 30 minutes.
Construction
- All construction, including those activities for which social distancing may not be maintained and the start of new construction projects, is authorized to resume.
This new phase is an incremental step but this is a great day for King County. This move in the right direction is one that we have earned through our diligence and patience in fighting COVID-19 safely, responsibly, and with utmost concern for the health of others.
I know that together we will continue to fight this terrible disease, save lives, and gradually return back to life as we knew it. I’ll send further updates as I receive them.
Business & Community Compliance Hotline
As a reminder, for questions about the parameters of phase 1.5 you are welcome to call this King County hotline: 206-296-1608 (M-F, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), you may get answers to your questions quicker than routing your question through my office or other King County departments and agencies.
Child Care in King County
We all know that finding – and affording – reliable child care can be a challenge in the best of times. However, now that King County is starting to slowly resume more economic activity, many parents will be going back to work and will have far fewer options for child care than they faced prior to the pandemic. According to The Seattle Times, hundreds of child care facilities across the state have closed, at least temporarily. As discussed in this Seattle Times editorial, U.S. Senator Patty Murray and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal are working to help child care providers stay open and reopen following temporary closures.
King County also has a program to help essential workers who need child care to perform their jobs. County staff can help those workers access free emergency child care. Click here for more information.
Additional helpful and informative links
 A Moment of Action
Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites (CARW) is a group that educates, organizes, and mobilizes white people to show up powerfully for racial justice and collective liberation. This Sunday they are hosting a community meeting. Details from CARW are below:
From Minneapolis to Seattle -- how can we as white folks make sense of the historic and revolutionary times we are in while also showing up fiercely in defense of Black Lives?
Join CARW leaders virtually on Sunday, June 7 from 4:00-6:00pm for the following:
-grounding in this moment
-brief political education about US policing and abolition
-local history
-review of Defund SPD demands
-calls to action
REGISTRATION LINK: https://tinyurl.com/carwmass
You can also find a Facebook event to share on CARW’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/559335131636068/
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.
-Jeanne
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