Spring has sprung! COVID-19 updates, confronting anti-Asian hatred and more

March 22, 2021

Spring has sprung! Did you know you can view the UW cherry blossoms virtually this year to avoid coming to campus due to COVID-19? Click the image above to enjoy the trees in full blossom from the comfort of your home!

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Over the weekend, spring officially sprung. I’ve found that with spring, feelings of hope can begin to rise as we shift from the endless gray and dark of the northwest winter and begin to see the light and plants in bloom. It’s hard to believe that this is now our second official springtime in the midst of a global pandemic. But perhaps this spring will bring more hope than the last. I certainly am feeling more hopeful as more and more people are being vaccinated – especially our most vulnerable populations and senior citizens.

For many seniors, it’s been a long year not being able to spend time with family and friends. I can relate, as I haven’t been able to spend quality time with my grandchildren since the onset of COVD let alone even meeting one of them born in Ithaca, New York last September. I encourage you to read this article that appeared in The Seattle Times about the lost year for grandparents during the pandemic and the new hope on the horizon as families are able to connect again and life tries to return to normal.

I’ve often felt discouraged and even demoralized when writing this update to you all reporting the grim numbers about new cases and deaths. But perhaps now we can consider this point in time as the beginning of the end. Next spring this may all just be a memory. And perhaps we can experience spring of 2022 in a whole new light. Which makes me think of hope again and a great quote from E.B White about spring:

“There is another sort of day which needs celebrating in song -- the day of days when spring at last holds up her face to be kissed, deliberate and unabashed. On that day no wind blows either in the hills or in the mind.”

Please note my enews is a little bit shorter today as some of my staff are unfortunately ill.

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

To view a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by race and ethnicity (updated on Mondays), click this link. Click here to view the “Key Indicators” data dashboard.  And see this page for the County’s daily COVID-19 outbreak summary.

King County’s COVID-19 dashboard reports 346 new cases and 0 additional deaths today. So, a fairly significant increase in new cases which appears to be happening in other places as well, but without a parallel increase in number of fatalities.

Note: there has been no update on four of the last five Sundays. As a result, Monday updates will now contain two days of data.

CDC guidance to patrons of restaurants and bars

Isolation and distancing has been stressful for many people during the pandemic. As we enter Phase 3, more and more restaurants and bars will be opening and able to serve more patrons. Even though this is a welcome sign of recovery, there are still steps you need to take to stay safe while dining out. Click here to read the CDC’s guidance on precaution you should take when frequenting bars and restuarants. And keep in mind, visiting bars and restaurants can still increase your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19.

Forum tomorrow: The Coronavirus Pandemic – Vaccine Acceptance and Public Attitudes

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is hosting a forum tomorrow on vaccine acceptance and public attitudes. This is a truly critical discussion we need to have to better understand the general public’s perception on the vaccine and which groups are less likely to want to get vaccinated. There will be a presenation and live Q&A session. Click the following link for more information and to find out how to submit your questions: https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/the-coronavirus-pandemic-31/

The physical toll of working from home

We’ve read a lot about the mental health problems that have increased during the pandemic when working from home. The feeling of not being able to separate work from home especially for those workers who have children in the household has been a major challenge. But it isnt just mental health wreaking havoc on people working at their kitchen tables – physical pain and hardship is also taking its toll. Check out this article from The Seattle Times about how many workers are suffering from physical pain and what some companies are doing to respond.

OTHER UPDATES

Confronting Anti-Asian hatred and violence

Photo: Real Change News

In my enews last Monday, I wrote to our AAPI community that I stand with you, and I stand solidly against the horrifying acts of hate against the AAPI community across our nation. There is a legacy of anti-Asian sentiment and scapegoating in American history, and we cannot continue to allow this type of rhetoric to permeate our collective consciousnes.

I was especially moved by this OpEd that was printed in TheSeattle Times written by three immigrant Asian American women about the damaging impacts of stereotypes, their own experiences, and encouraging us all to take action and stand up against hate. Two of them are long-time friends of mine. I strongly recommend you read the piece.

ICYMI – Womxn’s History Month panel next week

Last year, the annual Womxn’s History Month panel discussion that I host and moderate every year was cancelled due to the pandemic. However, this year’s program, titled “Amplifying Womxn’s Voices: Challenges, Inequities, and Moving Forward,” will be held virtually via KCTV (King County TV Channel 22) and Facebook on Monday, March 29th 11:45 am to 1:15 pm. We have an outstanding panel lined up this year and I hope that you will tune in for a fabulous conversation.

Here is an updated list of participants:

• Hon. Council Chair Claudia Balducci, King County Council Chair representing District 6, she/her
• Kristina Logsdon, Chief of Staff to King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, she/her
• Sharonne Navas, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Equity in Education Coalition, she/her
• ChrisTiana ObeySumner, Community Organizer, Activist, and CEO, Epiphanies of Equity LLC, they/them
• Roxana Pardo Garcia, Cultural Worker and Certified Xingona, Founder and Owner of La Roxay Productions, she/ella/they
• Hon. Justice G. Helen Whitener, Supreme Court Justice, Washington State Supreme Court, she/her

This week at the King County Council

Local Services – Tuesday March 23^rd at 9:30 a.m. – At this meeting there will be discussion and possible action on my legislation to expand the County’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.  I will be attending and speaking at tomorrow’s meeting (although I don’t serve on that committee) as I am the sponsor of the legislation. In 2020, the Council adopted my proviso to accelerate the adoption of EVs. This was part of legislation introduced earlier by my colleague Councilmember Rod Dembowski and me (the “Jump Start” plan). The discussion tomorrow is related to that earlier legislation.

King County Council – Tuesday March 23^rd at 1 p.m. – Tomorrow at the meeting of the Metropolitan King County Council, we will pass our 6th Covid budget since the pandemic began. 

The legislation encompasses $95 million, of which nearly half, $45.2 million, is for the emergency rental assistance program (EPRAP) funded by Department of Treasury federal grants.  I worked with my colleagues at the Council and the Executive’s office to improve upon our delivery of similar funds in 2020, most notably by creating a “hub and spoke” model designed to get money out into the most affected communities. 

Also of great importance and effect, this budget assigns $5 million to create a revolving fund to provide upfront payment for services from community-based organizations that cannot wait for reimbursement, allowing small organizations with tight budgets to take advantage of the relief they are afforded in the act.  And $1.9 million is included to support JustCares until the end of March that helps get chronically unhoused and those with substance abuse issues into housing. 

The remainder of the funding is for public health’s response to the pandemic and for county operations in response to the pandemic.  In many ways, the 6th Covid budget delivers improvements to programs and processes from lessons learned on the fly in 2020.

Covid 6 does not include any funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, as we will take up those funding opportunities in our 7th Covid budget.  The Executive is currently scheduled to transmit that budget this Wednesday, March 24th.  This budget will the first step in allocating funds we expect to see in 2021 from ARPA.  Look for further updates on Covid 7 in this Thursday’s e-News.

Mobility and Environment Committee – Wednesday March 24^th at 9:30 a.m. – There will be a discussion only regarding the proposed September 2021 Metro service changes. These changes will have a big impact on the current system as it operates in District Four. The committee will also dig deeper into the proposed 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan update.

If you’d like to view the meetings, they will all be streamed live by King County TV here. Information on agendas and how to participate is also available here.

Additional helpful and informative links

• In Seattle as everywhere, hope is ahead — but we haven’t hit the ‘post’ in post-traumatic stress from COVID-19 – The Seattle Times
• What WA can learn from Native communities’ vaccination plan – Crosscut
• Live Coronavirus daily news updates, March 22: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world – The Seattle Times
• At a South Seattle long-term care facility, a lobby fills with reunions as COVID-19 restrictions lift – The Seattle Times
• Washington state’s rise in homelessness outpaced the nation’s, according to report – The Seattle Times

Keep in touch

Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates, which I am now sending out on Mondays and Thursdays.  Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.  And you can click here to visit the archive page where you can find all of my previous enews updates.