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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
A constituent wrote in with what I think is a helpful analogy. A friend of hers, a nurse, explained that the need to wear masks indoors can be thought of as similar to not allowing smoking. Nowadays, no one would think of smoking inside a public indoor space, and we need to adopt the same attitude about mask-wearing. Both are required under current law.
The rest of this e-newsletter includes updates on the COVID-19 crisis and other issues. And you can click here to visit the archive page where you can find all of my previous enews updates.
As always, I would like to hear from you. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or you can reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
All the best and I hope you are staying safe.
COVID-19 UPDATES
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health – Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting 150 new positive cases of COVID-19 (14,879 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (644 total) as of this afternoon. The number of new hospitalizations is 35 (1,935 to date). Of the 11,000 cases in which race and ethnicity information is available, 4,373 of those are white and 6,627 are Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Really glad no new deaths reported, but still high numbers of new cases. And the disproportionality continues.
Yesterday Public Health reported 110 new positive cases of COVID-19 (14,729 total) and 1 new COVID-19-related death (644 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 4 (1,900 total).
Statewide, according to the state Department of Health, as of Tuesday, July 28th, the total number of positive cases was 54,985. Total number of deaths statewide was 1,555, and total hospitalizations were 5,476.
Detailed information about demographics of those who died from COVID-19, as well as on rates of hospitalization, is available on Public Health’s data dashboard where you can click on other dashboards as well as on your zip code for the number of “positive” cases and fatalities where you reside.
Check out real-time COVID-19 data broken down by country and state: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries and an updated list of places open for COVID-19 testing: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/news/2020/May/~/media/depts/health/communicable-diseases/documents/C19/community-health-center-testing-locations.ashx
   
COVID UPDATES
What does six feet look like?
The state Department of Health (DOH) has some guidance to help us all visualize what six feet really looks like. Among other helpful hints, “You could imagine two large dogs standing head to tail between you and your friend. Or three Coho salmon. Or 12 large slugs.”
Gov. Inslee releases updated reopening guidance
Gov. Jay Inslee yesterday released additional guidance following last week's announcement of guidance updates in Washington's Safe Start phased reopening plan.
The memo released yesterday updates guidance on gatherings, live entertainment, restaurants and taverns, entertainment and recreational centers, card rooms, movie theaters, and weddings and funerals and builds upon guidance released last week.
Inslee also extended the pause indefinitely on counties moving ahead in the Safe Start Washington plan. Read the full memo here.
The Department of Health launches CORONA Survey
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) launched the Community Recovery-Oriented Needs Assessment, or the CORONA survey. The survey is an effort to assess the behavioral, economic, social, and emotional impacts and the needs of communities across the state as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The CORONA survey results will inform immediate, long-term, and ongoing actions that DOH and local health jurisdictions can take to address the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on Washingtonians.
In order to appropriately and equitably inform recovery plans at the state and local levels, DOH is requesting residents from across Washington to go to this site to take part in the survey. (To take the survey by phone, call 855-530-5787—interpreters are available to assist.)
The survey is voluntary and confidential. If you have additional questions about the CORONA Survey, you can call the Washington State Department of Health at 1-800-525-0127. Learn more about reopening and the statewide response to COVID-19 here.
Get answers to your COVID questions
Washington state’s 211 COVID-19 call center is a general information line related to COVID-19. If you need information or have a general question, call 1-800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help. You can also text the word “Coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on your phone wherever you are. You will receive links to the latest information on COVID-19, including county-level updates, and resources for families, businesses, students, and more.
JUSTICE UPDATES: RACIAL, ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL,CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Where’s the heat?
King County and City of Seattle launch heat-mapping project; heat can worsen heart and lung conditions and the link between racism and hotter neighborhoods
 Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
We’re in the midst of a heat wave and I wanted to provide some background on why certain neighborhoods are hotter than others, as well as the effects of heat on your health. King County and the City of Seattle just announced a heat-mapping project to identify which areas are experiencing the most harmful effects of rising temperatures. The data collected by volunteers will inform county and city strategies to prepare the region for climate impacts. See the full announcement here, or see the coverage of the announcement by King 5 here.
There have been several articles written over the past few months on the long-term implications of redlining. One of them is more heat and fewer trees (and other negative environmental impacts) in neighborhoods with more residents who are Black, Indigenous or People of Color, or who are low-income. As heat intensifies with the climate crisis, those communities will continue to be disproportionately impacted.
The following articles provide some background into this issue, as well as information on health impacts (articles are recent unless otherwise noted).:
- Racist housing practices from the 1930s linked to hotter neighborhoods today (January, 2020) – NPR
- Heat and housing: a link between historic racism and current environmental inequities (February, 2020) - UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, Currents: A Student Blog (This article focuses on Seattle.)
- AUDIO: 'Silent killer' heat waves can worsen heart and lung conditions: And in Portland, Oregon, people of color and those with less education live in the hottest parts of the city. – Yale Climate Connections
- AUDIO: Heat and the pandemic: summer poses extra risks for seniors – WBUR
- A lot of us have been thinking about where we live. Here’s what research into neighborhoods shows. – The Washington Post / Perspective Column
OTHER UPDATES
Protecting marine mammals and news about orcas (aka “killer whales”): Attention, boaters!
 Photo from The Seattle Times/ SR3 SeaLife Response, Rehab and Research/NOAA. Taken by remotely controlled drone.
I was pleased to read some good news about our southern resident orca pod. Tahlequah, the orca who two years ago carried her dead calf for 17 days in a heartbreaking show of grief, is pregnant again! I highly recommend reading this article from Monday’s Seattle Times, which explains the challenges facing Tahlequah and her unborn calf, which she will carry for about 18 months. The southern residents are struggling to survive. Orcas use sound to hunt, and noise on the water during the busy summer season is an immense problem, not to mention toxic chemicals and the low numbers of salmon, their main food source.
And, now the Navy is proposing a seven-year testing program that would, according to this article in today’s Seattle Times, “… range from testing torpedoes to firing projectiles from a gun into the sea at seven times the speed of sound, to piloting mine-detecting undersea drones, deploying underwater sonar and exploding up to 1,000 pound bombs at sea.” The proposal is opposed by the Governor and by state agencies, due to concerns over harm to orcas and other marine mammals.
This follows some disturbing stories in the last few weeks about people harassing orcas and seal pups in Puget Sound:
- In The News Tribune on July 18th: “A pod of orcas was harassed by up to 30 boaters Tuesday evening as the killer whales swam through the Tacoma Narrows and past Fox Island, according to numerous observers who witnessed the floating spectacle. One person on a jet ski drove circles around the six whales, according to witnesses.”
- In The Columbian yesterday (from The Skagit Valley Herald): Seal pups need their space, official warns. “Weaned pups spend extended hours on shore resting and regulating their body temperature, and spend time out of the water in the same place for weeks at a time [while their mothers are hunting],” according to the article. They should not be touched or approached.
Here’s a summary of rules for boaters regarding marine mammals in Puget Sound (from Be Whale Wise):
- Boats to stay 300 yards from Southern Resident orcas or killer whales on either side.
- Boats to stay 400 yards out of Southern Resident orca’s path/in front and behind the whales
- Boats to go slowly (<7 knots) within ½ mile of Southern Resident orcas
- Disengage engines if whales appear within 300 yards.
- Boats to stay 100 yards from all other marine mammals (e.g. humpback whales, gray whales, sea lions and seals).
For more information:
News reports today announce that it’s been confirmed that the dead humpback whale struck by a ferry about three weeks ago was indeed killed by that strike.
Concerns about targeting homes of elected officials
Recent news reports have covered the story about protesters harassing Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez and her family at their home. This follows protesters targeting the homes of Mayor Jenny Durkan and Councilmember Alex Pedersen. See this statement from Seattle Native organizations about the harassment of Councilmember Juarez: Seattle Native organizations call for violence against Seattle Councilmember to end as well as this recent article in The Seattle Times: Native leaders, organizations decry 'intimidation' outside home of Seattle City Council's Juarez.
As a longtime public servant, I am deeply concerned about these incidents. Let me be clear, I unequivocally believe in the need for transformative change in law enforcement, reinvestment in community, and the constitutional right to demonstrate against injustice. I support the work of Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County and our efforts at King County to effect social change in exorcising systemic racism and in working with community-based organizations and advocates to achieve equity and social justice for BIPOC and entire communities.
At the same time, I particularly am concerned about the harassment and attempts at intimidation of an elected Indigenous woman who is doing her best to serve her constituents during a time of extreme difficulty and turmoil. I do not support vandalism or the use of blatantly misogynist epithets being spray painted on windows, walls, sidewalks and streets. The intolerance being displayed toward Councilmember Juarez among some of those protesting against racism and for social justice is striking and outrageous. I would much rather see such targeting being directed to those organizations and businesses that resist such needed social change.
King County Elections, Seattle Seahawks, and CenturyLink Field Launch Renewed Partnership Ahead of 2020 Elections
In 2019, as CenturyLink Field reached the voting age of 18 years old, the Seattle Seahawks, CenturyLink Field, and King County embarked on a partnership to amplify the importance of voting across the Puget Sound region. Last year, the Seahawks and CenturyLink Field welcomed King County Elections to the stadium on select game days to register voters and collect voted ballots.
This year, CenturyLink Field will host a Vote Center location where voters can register to vote, get a replacement ballot, and receive other assistance from King County Elections staff for both the August Primary and November General elections. For answers to any of your questions about voting in King County, please see the County Elections department website.
The CenturyLink Field Vote Center will be open on Saturday, August 1st, Monday, August 3rd, and Tuesday, August 4th for the upcoming August 4 Primary election. King County Elections will offer drive-up service for those arriving in their vehicles, as well provide service and assistance to those arriving via transit or by foot. Voters are required to wear a mask and will be provided with one should they need it. Elections staff will be masked, wearing gloves, and equipped with face shields to deter the spread of COVID-19. Voters can pre-order a replacement ballot ahead of their arrival, but it is a not a requirement for service.
And remember that ballots must be received by the evening of August 4th. They also can be dropped off at a ballot dropbox location.
Update on yesterday’s Council of the Whole meeting
The County’s Council of the Whole met remotely yesterday and received an important briefing on the state of COVID-19 from Patty Hayes, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County (Public Health). Her PowerPoint presentation can be viewed here.
We were also briefed on the results of this year’s Point-in-Time Count of people living without shelter on one night in January. See the PIT staff report and report from All Home on the 2020 Point-in-Time Count here. We passed the proposal making Juneteenth an official County holiday. It will head to the full Council at our August 25 meeting. See this Seattle Times article for more on the meeting.
Additional helpful and informative links
- Kreidler extends emergency order waiving cost-sharing for coronavirus testing until Aug. 27 – Office of the Insurance Commissioner
- COVID-19 test delays from overwhelmed commercial labs hit Washington patients in different ways – The Seattle Times
- Ballard tenants vaguely threatened with eviction for posting Black Lives Matter signs in windows – The Stranger
- How lockdown may have changed your personality – BBC
- Where has COVID-19 hit King County the hardest? South has highest rate of positive tests - The Seattle Times
- UW’s Foster School of Business and Law School are partnering to offer free legal consults, negotiation training to BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women small business owners – UW Foster School blog
- How John Lewis transformed American politics – Politico
- 'Tidal wave' of power shut-offs looms as nation grapples with heat - NPR
- More than 6,300 coronavirus cases have been linked to U.S. colleges (The UW has the fourth highest number of cases, with 249) – The New York Times
- Coronavirus sidelines prison inmates who help fight wildfires – NPR
- King County prosecutor's office seeking more information on arrests of protesters – King 5
- Kodak to produce pharmaceutical ingredients with U.S. government loan – The Washington Post
- Telemedicine explodes to the forefront amid COVID-19 - US News and World Report
- The top 50 U.S. colleges that pay off the most – CNBC (Hint: Take a look at the UW’s ratings!)
- We are tracking what happens to police after they use force on protestors – ProPublica
- How to handle anxiety over back-to-school decisions - The New York Times
- 'Vaccine nationalism': Is it every country for itself? – Reuters
- “Defendant shall not attend protests”: In Portland, getting out of jail requires relinquishing constitutional rights – ProPublica
- Why the novel coronavirus has the power to launch a pandemic – NPR
- Harvested antibodies now being tested as a prevention tool against COVID-19 – NPR
Today’s moment of inspiration
Photo by Taylor Crichton for The Washington Post
According to this recent article in The Washington Post, artist Michael Gittes, whose work has been shown in museums and art galleries around the world, painted and delivered almost 2,000 original paintings of flowers and shipped them to medical workers in Brooklyn.
“I wanted every single employee — all 1,800 — to have a painting to show how much they are loved and appreciated,” said Gittes in the Post article. He spent more than three months painting about 100 flowers a day, using a syringe as “a symbol of healing.”
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates, which I’m sending out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - - and sometimes more frequently. 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 safe.
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