West Seattle, Washington
07 Saturday
As we continue tracking the virus crisis, here’s what’s new:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*13,339 people have tested positive, 180 more than yesterday’s total
*635 people have died, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*1,806 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*247,689 people have been tested, 4,829 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 12,099/604/1,698/214,388.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
SPENDING NEW TAX $ FOR PANDEMIC RELIEF: Today the City Council passed the spending plan for their recently approved “high earners” business tax. The first year goes to pandemic relief; here’s how they explain it.
NEED FOOD? Food Lifeline is back to emergency food-box distribution this week – sites and times are listed here, including Wednesday and Friday afternoons at FL HQ in South Park.
LIBRARIES TAKE A STEP TOWARD REOPENING: You won’t be able to go in before Phase 3 – and with phase advancement still on hold, we’re in Phase 2 TFN – but Seattle Public Libraries are taking a step forward: You’ll be able to return books starting tomorrow at 9 branches, including High Point and Southwest in West Seattle.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Today marks six months since the first COVID-`19 case in the U.S., which was also the first here in Western Washington, Here are tonight’s virus-crisis updates:
KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*13,159 people have tested positive, up 168 from yesterday
*632 people have died, unchanged from yesterday
*1,803 people have been hospitalized, up 3 from yesterday
*242,860 people have been tested, up 4,653 from yesterday
One week ago, the totals were 11,945/604/1,693/207,497.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 14.4 million cases and more than 605,000 deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
NEED FOOD? Free summer meals for kids/teens continue at various sites, including the Seattle Parks sites mapped here and the Seattle Public Schools meal sites listed/mapped here.
CAN’T STOP THE MUSIC: Thanks to Lynn Hall for the Sunday morning photo:
“String quartet performing at a home near Beach Drive,” she explains.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
On a clear midsummer night, here’s the latest on the virus crisis:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*12,991 people have tested positive, 184 more than yesterday
*632 people have died, 8 more than yesterday
*1,800 people have been hospitalized, 10 more than yesterday
*238,207 people have been tested, 6,369 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 11,771/603/1,687/202,902.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 14.2 million people have tested positive, and more than 601,000 have died. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa – same top two as last week, but India has moved up to #3, and South Africa edged Peru out of the top five. See the breakdown, nation by nation,
FOLLOWUP:After reporting last night that an employee at The Kenney had tested positive for COVID-19, we talked today with the Chief Clinical Officer for the parent company, Heritage Ministries. He told us two others – an employee and a resident – had previously tested positive. The update’s added to our Friday night report.
WAITING FOR YOUR TEST RESULT? Public Health Seattle-King County has advice.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
The photo and report are from Eric Linxweiler with Troop 284:
This past weekend, Troop 284 held another “virtual campout” complete with skits, campfires, and tents (in scouts’ backyards) and some safe outdoor activities. In working to earn the Historic Trails award, we explored Camp Long. which was originally built for scouts and has many legacy projects left over from service over the years. We also had scouts in Schmitz Park and Duwamish Site 1 as well, and rotating through the parks – again to keep group sizes down.
It’s great to see Scouts – boys and girls – continuing on through what’s been a very underwhelming summer so far (all camps have been canceled, including a planned trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico).
When last we heard from Troop 284 at the end of May, they had followed up a virtual campout by joining the cleanup downtown.
20 weeks ago tonight, King County announced its first confirmed coronavirus case. We start tonight’s roundup with the numbers:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:
*12,807 people have tested positive, 215 more than yesterday
*624 people have died, 3 more than yesterday
*1,790 people have been hospitalized, 40 more than yesterday
*231,848 people have been tested, 4.656 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 11,632/603/1,674/201,745.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 14 million cases, 601,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
‘EXPLOSIVE SITUATION’: That’s where things stand if you look at our state as a whole, according to the latest “situation report” (see it here). The report also warns, ” If current trends continue, we expect that schools will not be able to reopen safely in the fall.”
POSITIVE TEST AT THE KENNEY: The senior-living center announced tonight that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.
ENFORCEMENT: The city has a new plan to step up enforcement of health rules for non-food businesses.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
The parent company of The Kenney has announced an employee has tested positive for COVID-19. Here’s what we received:
Heritage President and CEO Lisa Haglund confirmed today that The Kenney, a Heritage senior living community in West Seattle, has a staff member who has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in their senior living community.
Haglund stated, “The staff member who tested positive is currently in quarantine, and will not return to work at The Kenney until further notice. All of our families have been notified. Out of an abundance of caution, all residents in Lincoln Vista at The Kenney will be quarantined for the next 14 days. All outside visits with families are cancelled during this time of quarantine. In accordance with HIPAA requirements, no further details will be released.”
Haglund shared, “At Heritage, the health and safety of both our residents and staff is of the utmost importance, and we are taking action to reduce the risk of exposure for all. The steps we are implementing are directly tied to the recommendations and guidelines of the CDC, and state, local, and federal regulations, and we will adjust these steps if those recommendations change. To date, we consider ourselves lucky to have limited our exposure as a result of the pro-active efforts of our staff working in conjunction with our COVID-19 task force.
Heritage has taken multiple steps to help prevent exposure for residents including restricting all visitors, daily employee and resident health screenings in accordance with CDC guidelines, and no group activities.
She continued, “Our COVID-19 task force has been preparing for this possibility, and we believe our incredible team of caregivers is well trained and ready to support our residents.”
ADDED 11:43 AM SATURDAY: In a followup exchange, Heritage offered to have Chief Clinical Officer Jeremy Rutter talk with us by phone this morning. Here’s what else we learned:
-This is actually the third positive test associated with The Kenney. A resident recently tested positive after becoming ill and being admitted to a hospital; before that, a staff member had tested positive in a test administered by their personal health-care provider. This new result is the first one from testing done by medical staff at The Kenney.
-Rutter says they’ve done three recent rounds of testing among residents and staff, and will be re-testing everyone “in about a week.”
-Because of the new case, all staff are wearing “head to toe” PPE, masks, eye shields, bonnets, gloves, gowns, booties.
They’re also working with Public Health Seattle-King County, he said, to be sure they’re doing everything they can to protect residents and staff.
With Public Health Seattle-King County stepping up its enforcement of health rules for restaurants, the city announced today that “the Department of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) has issued a new public health and safety measure to help enforce state-mandated business requirements, including protective face coverings, social distancing and capacity limitations. For customers, residents or employees who have concerns about non-compliance, FAS will conduct outreach, provide education, and help to enforce Governor Inslee’s Safe Start plan in non-food business establishments across the city.” Here’s how the announcement expands on that:
Individuals or employees who are concerned that businesses are not enforcing the face coverings mandate, practicing social distancing or adhering to occupancy limits, and other measures identified in the statewide order can use the Find It, Fix It app or online form or call 206-684-2489 (CITY) to report their concerns. Businesses can also learn more by visiting the FAS website.
Read the new emergency rule here or below:
More words of warning from the governor, as we start tonight’s roundup:
ANOTHER STAY-HOME ORDER? Gov. Inslee says that’s a possibility if the growing outbreak doesn’t get under control: “We’re going in the wrong direction.” His words of warning were part of a media briefing with Secretary of Health John Wiesman this afternoon; you can watch the video here. he governor announced some new steps to take effect Monday – a reduced limit for gatherings in Phase 3 counties, and a statewide ban on live entertainment, outdoor as well as indoor.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*12,592 people have tested positive, up 239 from yesterday
*621 people have died, up 1 from yesterday
*1,750 people have been hospitalized, up 19 from yesterday
*227,182 people have been tested, up 5,428 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 11,486/602/1,662/198,710.
ANOTHER LOCAL CARE-FACILITY DEATH: The weekly update of the King County dashboard for long-term-care facilities says Providence Mount St. Vincent has had one more death, now 7 total. (We noted last night that the toll for that zip code, 98126, had risen by 1.)
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
CAVEAT ON THOSE STATEWIDE NUMBERS: For those who watch closely – the DOH had this media advisory:
Today’s increase of 1,266 new cases includes a backlog of about 300 cases from Yakima County. Despite the backlog, this increase suggests that community spread is accelerating. DOH is also reporting an increase of 115 hospitalizations today. This reflects a backlog following the agency’s data migration from last weekend. The 7-day average counts indicate hospitalization numbers continue to increase as well.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
WEST SEATTLE TESTING TOMORROW: Weekly reminder – Friday is the weekly drive-up testing day in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), Note that we learned last week, thanks to a reader, that the originally announced time was wrong – it actually starts at 9:30 am and continues until 3 pm, and last week right at the start, they were filling up fast.
ALERT IF YOU’RE GETTING UNEMPLOYMENT PAYMENTS: Another state advisory:
Additional $600 in federal benefit for unemployed workers set to end July 25. Unless Congress acts to extend or adjust it, the additional $600 per week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Program (FPUC) benefits, available under the federal CARES Act, will stop after next week. FPUC is entirely federally funded and available only at federal discretion.
GRILLBIRD UPDATE: The teriyaki restaurant that voluntarily closed last week after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 reports that everybody else has tested negative, but plans to wait a while longer to reopen “so we can finish up some improvements and reopen with 100% certainty.”
PERMANENT CLOSURE: Announced today by Kaiser Permanente:
Following the rapid adoption of, and increasing demand for, virtual care across Washington state as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaiser Permanente announced the permanent closure of CareClinic by Kaiser Permanente at Bartell Drugs locations, temporarily closed in March during the state-mandated stay-at-home orders.
The Jefferson Square Bartell Drugs had one of the clinics, until March.
PHOTOS? TIPS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Twp business notes to share …
EASY STREET RECORDS: You can now shop by appointment at Easy Street Records (California/Alaska):
Each shopping appointment is for 30 minutes. There is a max of 2 people allowed in the loft at a time. Appointments are available from 10 am to 4 pm [Daily] To make your appointment, please call 206-938-3279.
Mask required! Easy Street also offers curbside pickup – more on that, and the café, here.
COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE PROJECT: Also by appointment in The Junction – the Community Acupuncture Project of West Seattle has reopened. It’s at 4545 44th SW, and you can reach CAP via phone at 206-933-7891 or email at westseapins@gmail.com.
Here’s tonight’s roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*12,353 people have tested positive, 109 more than yesterday
*620 people have died, 14 more than yesterday
*1,731 people have been hospitalized, 25 more than yesterday
*221,754 people have been tested, 4,121 more than yesterday
One week ago, the four totals were 11,319/598/1,643/194,992.
TWO MORE LOCAL DEATHS: Today’s update includes one new death reported by each of two of the five zip codes that are either entirely or partly wtthin West Seattle – 98106 and 98126.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
OPENING SCHOOLS SAFELY: New modeling shows it can be done in King County this fall – but it depends on more than what happens on campuses. From today’s news release:
Grouping students by age, physical distancing, wearing masks and safe hygiene may be able to reduce the impact of school reopenings on transmission, but how much of an impact these measures have will depend on the level of COVID-19 transmission outside of schools. Even with countermeasures, students and staff would need to be screened for symptoms daily and both work and community mobility would need to stay below a certain threshold. “Every part of our society is connected when it comes to COVID-19,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “How well we control transmission in workplaces, businesses, recreation, families, and social networks are related and all impact whether we can safely reopen schools.”
COVID-RELATED CLOSURE: After an employee at the U-District location of Supreme tested positive, the restaurant closed its West Seattle branch too.
STAY HEALTHY STREETS SURVEY EXTENDED: Love those no-through-traffic, social-distancing-friendly streets? Hate ’em? Or? Whatever you think, tell the city – the survey that was supposed to close today has been extended a week.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Thanks for the tip! Another local restaurant has announced a COVID-19-related closure – but with unique circumstances. Supreme in The Junction announced on social media that it has closed both locations because an employee at its U-District location tested positive: “Due to the circumstance, we have decided to close both Supreme locations for now to allow our team two rounds of COVID-19 testing to be 100% sure we will reopen safely. We will also be tracking this testing experience so that we will be prepared for if and when it happens again in any of our places.”
10:56 AM: Three weeks ago, the city launched a long-promised online survey about the no-through-traffic Stay Healthy Streets set up citywide this past spring. Today is the final day – so if you have something to say about these streets, whether they should be temporary or permanent, go here to tell the city what you think. So far, they’re in three areas of West Seattle – two that are along mostly pre-existing greenways in High Point and Puget Ridge/Highland Park, and a stretch of Alki Avenue and Beach Drive around Alki Point. The city says it will also seek “public engagement” in other ways but the survey is the first step.
12:58 PM: As noted in comments, SDOT has just announced it’s extending the survey deadline a week, to July 22nd.
Words of warning – and encouragement – from the governor top tonight’s virus-crisis roundup:
EXTENDING ‘THE PAUSE’: During his media briefing this afternoon (see the video here), Gov. Inslee said he’s extending the “pause” on phases – no county gets to advance to the next one for at least two more weeks. While we’re not in nearly as bad shape as other states, he said, the pandemic is by no means under control – the current trend is “unsustainable,” he said – and if it isn’t tamed soon, rollbacks are possible.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s the daily summary from Public Health, with cumulative totals:
*12,244 people have tested positive, up 145 from yesterday
*606 people have died, up 2 from yesterday
*1,706 people have been hospitalized, up 8 from yesterday
*217,633 people have been tested, up 3,245 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 11,206/596/1,631/191,865.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
NEW REPORT ON DEATHS: From the state Department of Health today:
In the continuing effort to collect, maintain and publish the most useful data available to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has published a new death data report that includes different categories of COVID-19 deaths. Among those who have tested positive for COVID-19, these categories include confirmed due to COVID-19, suspected of being due to COVID-19, non-COVID-19 deaths and deaths pending or missing cause of death. In addition, there are 77 deaths that are probably due to COVID-19, but they are not among those who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Since the first COVID-19 case in Washington in January, DOH has worked to transparently release data in near real-time so that the public, health care providers, policy makers, the media, and public health professionals can access current information. This additional information gives context for decision makers working to stop the spread of the virus.
Read the full DOH announcement here.
RESTAURANT REOPENS: Six days after Public Health shut it down, Duke’s on Alki has reopened. (Our story also includes Q&A with Public Health that we’d initiated before the closure, and PH has called our attention to this post about what restaurants are doing successfully to work with new safety rules.)
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(WSB photo, last week)
Six days after Public Health Seattle-King County closed Duke’s on Alki because COVID-19 was spreading among its staff, the restaurant says it has clearance to reopen today. (The PHSKC website confirms the reopening.) Subscribers to its email list received a message from founder Duke Moscrip, including:
… When the health authorities examined our Alki location and took the action to shut us down, we were devastated. Frankly, we thought we were following the safety protocols precisely. After cooperating with them fully over the past few days, we earned their approval to reopen today. Specifically, they approved the distance between our tables and the occupancy levels that allow us to keep everyone safe.
As a new layer of safety at Duke’s restaurants, we ordered and are installing new air purification technology over the next few weeks at all our locations to stop COVID-19 particles, other viruses, and bacteria in internal spaces.
Safety. That is the only thing important to us as we all begin to venture out more and enjoy our unique way of life here in the Pacific Northwest.
Despite every safety measure available, we expect we will see more cases of COVID-19 among our valued team. Today we are better prepared to properly react.
I know that many of you believe that Duke’s let you down. For that, we are truly saddened.
The message also says an unspecified number of staff members remain quarantined. This statement from the restaurant following last week’s shutdown noted 7 Alki employees had tested positive for the virus.
(ADDED 12:55 PM: PHSKC has since published this statement about the reopening.)
Before the shutdown announcement, after our previous report about two cases at Duke’s, we had asked Public Health some questions about how outbreaks are handled; we’d noticed while covering other businesses that no two seemed to be handling cases the same way. We have since received the replies, published below in Q&A format, with our questions and Public Health’s answers:
WSB: “What if anything are businesses required to report to PHSKC regarding employees testing positive?”
PHSKC: “Notify health department within 24 hours if you suspect COVID-19 is spreading in your workplace, or if you are aware of 2 or more employees who develop confirmed or suspected COVID-19 within a 14-day period.”
WSB: “What are they required to tell customers?”
PHSKC: “No requirements.”
WSB: “Under the new state guidance, what circumstance constitutes “spreading” at a workplace that would need to be reported?”
PHSKC: “We would consider ‘spreading’ when any person in the workplace, whether an employee, contractor or customer, might have been potentially exposed in the workplace. We would recommend that a workplace call us if they have any questions or concerns as it generally takes some investigation to try to determine the most likely location of exposure (e.g., community exposure vs. workplace exposure, etc..).”
WSB: “Once PHSKC gets a report of ‘spreading,’ what will you do with that information? How/is it investigated? Might orders for closure ensue?”
PHSKC: “- We first try to confirm any reported cases through our public health databases and if any non-household contacts have been identified already.
“- We then do an initial investigation call to (i) confirm whether transmission occurred in the workplace, (ii) identify any exposed workplace contacts (coworkers or customers), and (iii) assess steps that employers have taken to reduce the risk of transmission within the workplace and provide technical assistance when necessary.
“- If this investigation identifies conditions indicating a higher risk to employees or the public, we may schedule a site visit to the workplace. A public health order or closure could ensue if the risk level is deemed to be very high and we believe there is an ongoing risk to employees or the public that isn’t being mitigated.”
WSB: “What about employees who feel their employer isn’t taking appropriate action – is there anything they can do?”
PHSKC: “Workplace safety complaints about coronavirus or other issues can be filed with L&I (1-800-423-7233). Employees can also file a written safety/health complaint.”
(Again, we had those questions out to PHSKC *before* the Duke’s closure – the first of its kind in our area – was announced.)
Midway through the fifth month of the virus crisis in our area, here’s what’s new:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*12,099 people have tested positive, 155 more than yesterday
*604 people have died, unchanged from yesterday
*1,698 people have been hospitalized, 5 more than yesterday
*214,388 people have been tested, 6,892 more than yesterday
One week ago, the totals were 11,140 /591/1,623/190,005.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
EXTENDING THE MISSION: We’ve reported on National Guard help at both local food banks (West Seattle and White Center). The governor is asking the White House to keep funding the mission so they can stay on duty in our state until year’s end.
NO FOOD LIFELINE DISTRIBUTION THIS WEEK: Checking FL’s website for updates, we found this announcement:
We learned today someone in direct contact with Food Lifeline’s operations tested positive for Covid-19. Out of an abundance of caution, we have chosen to suspend food distributions for the remainder of this week so our facilities can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection recommendations.
Health and safety will always be our highest priorities during this pandemic. We will continue to provide the highest level of safety for our clients, partners, and staff. We are working in partnership with King County Public Health to ensure we continue to work as safely as possible as we return to operations.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Four months ago today, a slew of closure announcements – from schools to libraries. And the virus crisis isn’t over yet. Tonight’s toplines:
KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*11,945 people have tested positive, up 174 from yesterday
*604 people have died, up 1 from yesterday
*1,693 people have been hospitalized, up 6 from yesterday
*207,497 people have been tested, up 4,595 from yesterday
One week ago, the totals were 11,014/590/1,616/187,647.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 12.8 million cases and more than 568,000 deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT APOLOGY: This announcement was sent to the DOH media list today:
On Friday, July 10, the Washington State Department of Health became aware that we may have sent COVID-19-related text messages and emails in error.
While training staff on a new data-sharing platform for case investigations and contact tracing, we neglected to disable the ability for texts and emails to leave the test environment. The result is that randomly created phone numbers and emails, with no connection to public health data, may have received messages between late May and early July. The number of texts and emails sent in error is less than 50.
Once we discovered this error, we identified which of the random emails and phone numbers could have actually received a message. This afternoon, we sent a follow-up message about the errors, asking people to disregard any text or email they received. We also provided a webpage with more information and an email address for any follow-up questions they might have. We deeply regret any inconvenience or worry we may have caused.
CAMP SECOND CHANCE: West Seattle’s only tiny-house encampment remains COVID-19-free, its site coordinator said at today’s Community Advisory Committee meeting.
PARKING-ENFORCEMENT REMINDER: Tomorrow’s the day that the city plans to reinstate some parking rules that were suspended because of the pandemic – including most time limits, and charging at pay-station spaces.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
On what would have been the biggest night of West Seattle’s biggest annual party – Summer Fest – we are instead still chronicling a pandemic. Here’s tonight’s roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*11,771 people have tested positive, 139 more than yesterday
*603 people have died, unchanged from yesterday
*1,687 people have been hospitalized, up 13 from yesterday
*202,902 people have been tested, 1,157 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 10,784/590/1,610/181,536.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 12.6 million people have tested positive, and more than 564,000 have died. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, Russia, India, Peru (same as last week). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
NEED TO GET TESTED? If you can’t get tested through your health-care provider, here are the free sites around King County, including multiple locations in West Seattle/White Center/South Park. (One note – though the list says the weekly Friday testing at SSC starts at 10 am, as a commenter discovered yesterday, it actually starts at 9:30 am.)
FOOD DRIVE AND OUTDOOR MUSIC: Tomorrow, Alki UCC has another outdoor dropoff food drive, 10 am-3 pm – and during the food drive, noon-1 pm, the church is presenting live outdoor music by Betsy Stelzer. You’re welcome to hang out on the patio or lawn – distanced and masked – at 6115 SW Hinds.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westsettleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
19 weeks ago tonight, King County announced its first confirmed coronavirus case. We start tonight’s roundup with the numbers:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:
*11,632 people have tested positive, 146 more than yesterday
*603 people have died, 1 more than yesterday
*1,674 people have been hospitalized, 12 more than yesterday
*201,745 people have been tested, 3,035 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 10,719/590/1,610/179,644.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 12.4 million cases, 560,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
SANITIZER CONTAMINATION: The state wants to be sure you’re aware of this FDA alert about some hand sanitizers.
PICKUP MARKET: If you want to shop the West Seattle Farmers’ Market without visiting multiple booths, the new online-ordering system for one pickup point is offered again this week. Midnight tonight is the deadline for orders to be picked up this Sunday (July 12th).
NEED FOOD? West Side Presbyterian Church (3601 California SW) is serving free bag lunches (“turkey, ham or beef sandwiches plus other goodies”) from 12-1 pm tomorrow, all welcome.
FREE BUS RIDES: Noticed in a Metro advisory tonight that “fares will remain suspended through the month of August,”
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Four months after West Seattle’s first publicly disclosed COVID-19 case, here’s the nightly virus-crisis news roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*11,486 people have tested positive, up 167 from yesterday
*602 people have died, up 4 from yesterday
*1,662 people have been hospitalized, up 19 from yesterday
*198,710 people have been tested, up 3,718 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 10,596/589/1,606/175,993.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
LOCAL TREND: You can use the daily-summary dashboard and choose the “geography over time” tab to see how many positive test results were reported in the past two weeks, and previous two-week periods. This map uses “health reporting areas,” with the peninsula broken into West Seattle and Delridge HRAs. The two had 82 positive tests total in the past two weeks, up from 25 during the two weeks before that. Total positives for the two combined, since the start of the pandemic: 397.
ANOTHER RESTAURANT CASE: The new MOD Pizza in Westwood Village reopened today after a short closure following an employee’s positive test.
WEST SEATTLE TESTING TOMORROW: Weekly reminder – Friday is the weekly drive-up testing day in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), 10 am-3 pm.
FREE FOOD TOMORROW: 2-5 pm Friday at Food Lifeline (815 S. 96th; map). The emergency food boxes – which FL says will include fresh produce and dairy products – are available to all, no paperwork or proof of need (you will only be asked for your zip code).
PHOTOS? TIPS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302 – thank you!
A reader texted that photo last night after finding the “TEMPORARILY CLOSED” sign on the recently opened Westwood Village MOD Pizza. It didn’t explain the closure, nor could we find an explanation online, so we contacted company spokesperson Charlotte Wayte, who just replied: “Unfortunately, we did have to close temporarily due to a an employee testing positive for COVID [once we were informed, we immediately closed the store and performed a deep cleaning following the guidance of the CDC, and any impacted employees were immediately contacted and isolated per CDC guidelines], but we were able to safely open this morning.” (Closing is not required, by the way – here’s the Public Health Seattle-King County guidance for food-service businesses.)
A pandemic first tops tonight’s roundup:
SHUT DOWN: Duke’s on Alki is the first local restaurant closed by health authorities because of a COVID-19 outbreak. We reported on the first case June 27th, then a second June 30th. We had just reported last night on new guidance about businesses with outbreaks.
VOLUNTARY CLOSURE: Also this afternoon, Grillbird Teriyaki announced it was closing temporarily after an employee tested positive.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*11,319 people have tested positive, 113 more than yesterday
*598 people have died, 2 more than yesterday
*1,643 people have been hospitalized, 12 more than yesterday
*194,992 people have been tested, 3,127 more than yesterday
One week ago, the four totals were 10,356/589/1,600/171,737.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
MORE ON THE MASK-DECLINE DESTRUCTION: We got the police report today on the Trader Joe’s incident we mentioned last night.
NO NIGHT OUT: Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner sent official word today that the block-party event in August will be anothe COVID cancellation this year.
YES, ART WALK: Some outdoor art will be part of the second-Thursday event this month – check the official website tomorrow!
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Thanks for the tips on this: Grillbird Teriyaki announced this afternoon that it’s closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The note posted online and on Grillbird’s door:
We are closed until further notice
On Wednesday July 8th, a staff member at Grillbird tested positive for COVID-19. This individual was not customer facing and was immediately sent home to recover. Our entire staff will receive testing over the next couple days.
As a result of this positive test, we will be closing our doors temporarily so that we can wait for the results and disinfect/clean the restaurant. Our hope is to re-open as soon as possible, but until we can test everyone on our team, we cannot re-open. Your health and safety along with the health and safety of our team are of the utmost importance to us. We will be taking every precaution to ensure that when we do re-open, the environment will be safe.
We share this so we can be 100% transparent with all of our loyal customers and community that have been so supportive of Grillbird since we’ve opened.
We are grateful that our staff member who tested positive is not exhibiting any symptoms. We operate with a strict mask-wearing policy in our kitchens and at the counter, and will continue to reinforce this and rigorous daily cleaning practices. Please stay tuned about our reopening dates. We love you all and look forward to serving you again soon.
Matt & Danette
3:46 PM: We’ve reported twice in the past two weeks on COVID-19 cases among employees at Duke’s on Alki. We had followup questions out to Public Health Seattle-King County after reports of more cases – and PHSKC has just announced that the restaurant has been closed because of “ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 in employees” and “potential for workplace and customer transmission.” PHSKC also cited “non-compliance wth Washington State’s “Stay Safe, Stay Healthy” requirements.” The restaurant had closed for three days last week because of the initial outbreak, reopening on July 3rd.
4:45 PM: More from Public Health:
“At this time, all the cases have been in employees of Duke’s restaurant and we are not aware of cases among customers. The risk to diners is generally lower because they are typically not in close contact with employees for prolonged periods of time. For these reasons, customers do not need to quarantine, but should monitor their health closely for any symptoms and get tested at any sign of COVID-like illness,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer, Public Health- Seattle & King County.
“With the recent increase in cases, everyone – including all restaurants, businesses and individuals – needs to remember the importance of physical distancing, limiting the number and duration of contacts with others, use of face coverings, good ventilation, and hand washing to the reduce risk of COVID-19 to customers, employees and the community. Anyone who knows they were in close contact with a COVID-19 case or has symptoms of COVID-19 should isolate themselves away from others and seek testing. And older adults and people with risk factors for severe COVID-19 infection should take extra precautions and limit activities to the extent possible.”
In response to rising COVID-19 cases county wide, Public Health is expanding efforts to educate and enforce compliance of Governor Inslee’s Safe Start COVID-19 reopening requirements in food establishments.
Information for customers of the restaurant
If you were a customer at Duke’s at Alki, watch closely for any symptoms daily until 14 days after you were at the restaurant. Symptoms of COVID-19 infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or a change in smell or taste perception. Other symptoms include recent or increasing tiredness or weakness, headache, muscle aches, diarrhea, chills, and sore throat. These symptoms occur within 2–14 days of your last exposure to a person diagnosed with COVID-19.
If you do not have any symptoms you do not need to quarantine. You can continue to go to work and out in public spaces as normal, but you should wear a face covering and stay at least 6 feet from people who do not live in your home.
If you develop any symptoms, even if minor, call your doctor or healthcare provider for a medical evaluation. Explain that you might have been exposed to a person with COVID-19. Follow their instructions for testing.
If you do not have a doctor or healthcare provider: free or low-cost testing is available at several King County locations to anyone, regardless of immigration status. Call the King County COVID-19 Call Center at 206-477-3977 for assistance. The Call Center is open from 8am to 7pm, 7 days a week. If you need an interpreter, say the name of your language.
6 PM: We went over to Duke’s to verify the closure. They are indeed closed, but no explanatory note on the door.
ADDED EARLY THURSDAY: Duke’s posted a statement on social media confirming the 7 Alki cases that commenters have reported, The restaurant’s owners contend they have been “strictly following CDC and local health department guidelines.”
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