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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you are doing well and staying safe. I have one very important reminder for you: VOTE! The deadline is tomorrow at 8 p.m. Today is too late to mail your ballot (with the certainty that it will arrive in time), so if you have not yet voted, please use one of the many ballot drop-box sites located throughout Seattle and King County. And a special shout out to the Ballard Drop Box—it consistently has the highest number of ballots received than anywhere else in the County!
I also want to remind you that the County Council is currently on recess. Though I am available during this time, it may take a bit longer to get a response if you call or email my office. In addition, we will only be sending out the e-newsletter on Mondays and Wednesdays for the next two weeks.
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 124 new positive cases of COVID-19 (15,634 total) and 7 new COVID-19-related deaths (656 total) as of this afternoon. This unfortunately is a much higher number than typically is the case. The number of new hospitalizations is 20 (1,983 to date). Of the 11,422 cases in which race and ethnicity information is available, 4,517 of those are white and 6,905 are Black, Indigenous and People of Color.
Yesterday, Public Health reported 111 new positive cases of COVID-19 (15,510 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (649 total). Yay! The number of new hospitalizations was 6 (1,963 total). On Saturday, Public Health reported 202 new positive cases (high, unfortunately) of COVID-19 (15,399 total) and 2 new COVID-19-related deaths (649 total). The number of new hospitalizations was 9 (1,957 total).
Statewide, according to the state Department of Health, as of Saturday, August 1st, the total number of positive cases was 58, 173. Total number of deaths statewide was 1,596, and total hospitalizations were 5,692.
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
   
COVID UPDATES
Gov. Inslee updates guidance for restaurants, taverns, breweries, wineries and distilleries
 Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash
On Friday, Gov. Inslee announced updates to the July 24 guidance for restaurants, taverns, breweries, wineries and distilleries as part of Washington's Safe Start phased reopening plan. Changes include clarification about which establishments can offer indoor seating, temporary outdoor seating guidance and counter-style seating clarifications. Read the full guidance document for restaurants, taverns, breweries, wineries and distilleries here. See below for information on Public Health — Seattle & King County’s webinar on the new guidelines.
For food establishment and tavern operators in King County: Safe Start for Taverns and Restaurants (SSTAR) Program webinar now available on video
A webinar on the new SSTAR program was held on July 29th hosted by Public Health — Seattle & King County (Public Health) and is now available for viewing online as a recorded embedded video. The new SSTAR program provides education and materials to help restaurants implement state and public health guidance. It also increases the accountability of restaurants to abide by the health and safety standards that support a safe reopening. This webinar covers the purpose of the program, what you need to do to stay in compliance, an outline of what happens if there is a COVID-19 positive case in your business, and information from the Washington Hospitality Association. As you likely know, many popular restaurants are closing permanently which is very sad and unfortunate.
Gov. Inslee also updates guidance for summer camps
 Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
The Governor also released additional guidance related to overnight group summer camps. Per the guidance, overnight group summer camps or similar activities must ensure strict adherence to all measures established by the Governor, the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention: General Requirements and Prevention Ideas for Workplaces, and the Washington State Department of Health Workplace and Employer Resources & Recommendations (DOH). Read the full overnight group summer camps guidance here. As you may know, a kids’ camp in Georgia has reported over 200 positive cases of campers and staff so it is critical that camps heed to the guidance issued here.
Find a full list of current reopening guidance for businesses and workers here.
Gov. Inslee today announces updates to indoor fitness guidance
Gov. Jay Inslee today announced updates for Phase 2 and Phase 3 fitness guidance as part of Washington's Safe Start phased reopening plan. The guidance is effective as of August 10th.
Updates include:
- Clarification on when facial coverings are required in indoor fitness facilities
- Changes to calculation of occupancy limits for large facilities
- Allowance for fitness and sports training other than group fitness classes
- Read the full fitness guidance document here.
Public Health study seeks to answer questions about local COVID-19 infection
How many people have been infected with COVID-19 in King County? Who is more likely to be infected and how severe are their symptoms? And are there common risk factors we can identify among people who have become infected so we can reduce risk?
Officials in Public Health – Seattle & King County (Public Health) are hunting for answers to these questions and more with a new study. About 5,000 randomly selected households from across King County will be receiving postcards in early August 2020 from Public Health, asking them to volunteer to have a few drops of blood taken from a finger. This is known as a seroprevalence study (“sero” referring to the blood).
Their blood will be analyzed for the presence of antibodies to the virus the causes COVID-19. An antibody test is different from a test that tells someone if they are currently infected with COVID-19.
For more information on this study, read the full story on the Public Health Insider blog here.
JUSTICE UPDATES: RACIAL, ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Leading with environmental justice and racial equity in the 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan
Members of the Climate Equity Community Task Force
As part of King County’s commitments to action on climate change and equity and social justice (ESJ), the 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP) includes a new Sustainable & Resilient Frontline Communities (SRFC) section focused on climate equity and community-driven policy guided by the Climate Equity Community Task Force (CECTF).
The CECTF is made up of 22 community leaders who represent frontline communities and whose experiences afford unique strengths and insights into climate resilience strategies and practices. Frontline communities are those that will be disproportionately impacted by climate change. These are the populations that face historic and current inequities, often experience the earliest and most acute impacts of climate change, and have limited resources and/or capacity to adapt.
The CECTF developed community-driven and equity-oriented climate actions through a year-and-a-half-long process. These recommendations recognize the role of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and frontline communities in climate work and the importance of climate actions that promote equity and recognize the broad impacts of climate change on a variety of social needs (such as pollution-free neighborhoods, affordable housing, green jobs and food security).
The final 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan, including the Sustainable & Resilient Frontline Communities section and the work of the Climate Equity Community Task Force, will be transmitted by County Executive Dow Constantine to the County Council later this month.
OTHER UPDATES
Wildfire smoke preparedness
Wildfire smoke is unhealthy for everyone, especially at this time. Wildfire smoke this summer may create additional risk for people with COVID-19 and worsening of symptoms for people with COVID-19. Children, pregnant women, people over 65 years of age, or who have a respiratory disease or illness, heart disease, or diabetes are most vulnerable.
For information on preparing yourself, your home and your family for wildfire season, please see this information from the County.
Additional helpful and informative links
- Coronavirus Q&A: Running outside, petting dogs, and more - NPR
- Six King County beaches closed because of high bacteria levels – The Seattle Times
- Mail-in voting is 'not rampant voter fraud,' says Washington's top election official – NPR
- Police defunding debate plays out at rally in front of Seattle City Hall - The Seattle Times
- Scientists worry about political influence over coronavirus vaccine project – The New York Times
- Editorial: Seattle City Council must rebuke bullying of colleagues - The Seattle Times
- After protests near her home, Seattle police chief asks City Council for intervention; activists dispute claims of ‘illegal behavior’ - The Seattle Times
- Birx warns U.S. coronavirus epidemic is in 'new phase' as cases and deaths climb - NPR
- Scam or sabotage? Mystery seeds in the mail confound Washington - Crosscut
- COVID-19 deaths, positive tests vary dramatically across King County: See the hot spots - The Seattle Times
- Arizona school Superintendent on school reopenings: ‘I’m sorry, but it’s a fantasy’ - The Washington Post
- A scramble to address fears that coronavirus can spread through shared air in buildings - The Seattle Times
- Native Americans feel devastated by the virus yet overlooked in the data - The New York Times
- Washington State Ferries grapples with mask requirements for passengers - The Seattle Times
- States are broke and many are eyeing massive cuts. Here's how yours is doing - NPR
- With COVID-19, a seismic quiet like no other - The New York Times
- A vast racial gap in death penalty cases, new study finds - The New York Times
- Misinformation on coronavirus is proving highly contagious - The Seattle Times
Today’s moment of inspiration
A 90-year-old Chevy Chase man spent months making masks. In return he got a birthday parade.
 Photo from The Washington Post, courtesy of Diane Willkens
The Washington Post reports today on Dan Willkens, a 90-year-old man from Chevy Chase who started making masks a few months ago when the pandemic first hit the U.S. He’s made more than 300 masks, most of them donated to a hospital in Bethesda. He had originally planned to visit great-grandchildren in Tennessee for his 90th birthday, but of course those plans were shelved due to the virus. His daughter and friends instead organized a neighborhood birthday parade, with the help of neighbors and the Montgomery County Police Department. Read the full story – and see more photos – here.
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. Although, as a reminder, we will not be sending an enewsletter out this Friday, August 7th, or the following Friday, August 14th, due to the County Council recess. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.
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