News & Information
COVID-19 Testing Results Update for Kitsap County as of 2 p.m. June 30
6/30/2021 UPDATES:
- Kitsap Public Health reported one new COVID-19-related death on June 28. With the addition of this case, 116 COVID-19-associated deaths have been reported in the county to date.
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*** This COVID-19 Bulletin is moving to weekly publication each Thursday afternoon starting next week. Beginning July 8, this bulletin will be sent only to those who specifically subscribed to the COVID-19 topic. Many of you are receiving the bulletin because you subscribed to different topics in our system. If you stop receiving the bulletin, and want to continue receiving it, subscribe to the COVID-19 bulletin at kcowa.us/covidupdate. Questions? Contact dem@co.kitsap.wa.us
Now is the time to get your COVID-19 vaccine. Visit Kitsap County Public Health at kcowa.us/vaccine and sign up for vaccine updates from Kitsap Public Health here.
¿Quieres información sobre la vacuna COVID-19? Mira nuestro pagina para mas información de la vacuna y como obtener la vacuna: https://bit.ly/2XVht0W Tambien os puede llamar nuestro linea 360-728-2218
 Washington 'reopens' today
We are thrilled to join the Washington State Department of Health, the Governor’s office, and all of our partners in saying we are Washington Ready! Thank you to everyone in the community who has worked so hard, sacrificed and contributed to this day!
Washington Ready means more than reopening – it also means ready to get vaccinated! If you still need to get a shot, please do it, not just for yourself but to protect the people around you, especially kids and other vulnerable folks who can’t get vaccinated yet. Go to kcowa.us/vaccine for local vaccine information.
Find out more about the state reopening here - https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/FrequentlyAskedQuestions
Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement June 29 for individuals and businesses preparing to return to normal capacity and operations. Read the full statement here.
Effective June 30, all industry sectors previously covered by guidance in the Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery or the Safe Start Reopening Plan may return to usual capacity and operations, with limited exceptions for large indoor events.
Reopening guidance:
- Capacity limitations: No restrictions in restaurants, bars, stores, businesses, theaters etc.
- Physical distancing: No requirements
- Facial coverings: Not required for vaccinated individuals, unless required by individual business
- Travelers: Follow CDC recommendations
Don't forget your mask - you may still need it even if you're vaccinated
As Washington state reopens June 30, the Secretary of Health’s mask order will remain in place, which means that people who are not fully vaccinated need to continue to wear a face mask in public indoor settings.
Businesses and local authorities can set their own more protective mask requirements. Guidance for employers is available on the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries website.
The settings in which all people, including those fully vaccinated, are required to wear masks include:
- child care facilities, camps, K-12 schools, and other youth settings where children are present or expected to be present;
- health care settings, in accordance with CDC health care infection prevention and control recommendations;
- correctional facilities in areas where incarcerated individuals are present or expected to be present;
- homeless shelters in areas where individuals being served are present or expected to be present;
- public transportation and transportation hubs, including airports, bus or ferry terminals, train and subway stations
Masking helps protect those who are unvaccinated, including children who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated and others with auto-immune or other conditions that prevent them from being vaccinated.
Read the full release from the Washington State Department of Health here.
Community COVID drive-through testing suspended
The Kitsap County Emergency Operations Center and Kitsap Public Health District have suspended the drive-through COVID-19 testing site at the Fairgrounds until further notice, due to decreased demand.
The suspension caps a winding down of the county-operated drive-through testing program, which began in Bremerton last October and expanded to include sites in Poulsbo and the Fairgrounds. The Bremerton and Poulsbo testing sites closed earlier this month. More than 9,000 people received testing at three sites and more than 600 positive cases were identified.
Doug Blangsted, who has overseen testing operations for the Emergency Operations Center alongside Anne Moen from Kitsap Public Health District, noted that volunteers logged more than 20,000 hours at the sites over the last eight months. The sites were also supported by the Olympic College Nursing Program, City of Bremerton, City of Poulsbo, and Kitsap County Parks.
“We are grateful to our dedicated staff and volunteers who’ve worked in wind, rain, and 100-degree heat to ensure Kitsap County residents have easy access to COVID-19 testing,” Blangsted said. “Their efforts are crucial to our pandemic response.”
Free COVID-19 testing remains abundantly available at pharmacies and clinics throughout Kitsap County. A list of providers is posted at kcowa.us/covid19
In addition to free testing services, residents can purchase at-home testing kits online or over the counter at some retailers. People who test themselves at home should report their results to public health by calling 211 and follow CDC recommendations for isolation or quarantine.
The CDC offers an online “Viral Testing Tool” to help the public determine which testing options are best for their situation, interpret test results, and take necessary steps to protect people around them. Information is also available through the state’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-525-0127.
Vaccine rates now include Department of Defense data
Kitsap Public Health now has access to data from COVID-19 vaccinations administered to Kitsap County residents through Department of Defense (DoD) programs and updated its total vaccinations and vaccination rates for Kitsap County. View the full dashboard here.
Because Kitsap Public Health does not have access to detailed records from the DoD, DoD data are not included in demographic breakdowns for vaccination by age, gender, area of county, or race/ethnicity. Access to immunization data from Veterans Affairs is not yet available.
Read the Kitsap Public Health weekly outlook newsletter for more information, including details on COVID variants.
Safety tips and fireworks information for the 4th of July
 Celebrate the 4th of July safely! Here is some fire safety information from local officials and information about what and when fireworks are legal, including an online form to report related complaints.
Kitsap 911 set up an online complaint form for the public to report non-threatening fireworks so that phone lines remain open for emergencies and issued a statement with information on how law enforcement agencies in Kitsap County will respond to fireworks complaints (and when they may not).
The Kitsap County Fire Chiefs issued a statement June 29 warning about fireworks-related hazards and safer alternatives. Read the message here.:
- To learn more about when and what fireworks are allowed, as well as answers to frequently asked questions, visit the Kitsap County Fire Marshal's information page here.
- To read the Kitsap 911 release about law enforcement response and fireworks safety, click here.
- To report non-threatening firework complaints online, go to:
http://www.kitsap911.org/fireworks
- Kitsap County is under a Phase 1 Burn Ban which suspends all outdoor burning permits and prohibits all other burning except for recreational or cooking fires in approved devices and locations. Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about burn bans.
Finding workers: the new COVID challenge
The Kitsap Economic Development Alliance offers a virtual webinar at 11 a.m. July 8 aimed at helping local businesses understand worker shortages, how to attract applicants and solutions to rebuilding your workforce.
Speakers during this digital hour will include Mike Robinson of WorkSource Kitsap County and Monica Blackwood of West Sound Workforce.
To register, go to http://kitsapeda.me/KDH. Find resources, opportunities and information for local businesses at the KEDA website at https://kitsapeda.org/.
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