West Seattle, Washington
29 Thursday
Announced tonight by organizers:
It is with heavy hearts we announce that the 2020 West Seattle 4th of July Kids’ Parade is CANCELLED due to COVID-19.
We have been honored to carry on this 25-year-long tradition these past few years and look forward to 2021, when we can all celebrate together again.
In support of all the small businesses in West Seattle that normally sponsor this parade and ensure the tradition continues, we will be donating $250, the amount we would normally be spending on our permit application fee right now, to the West Seattle Small Business Relief fund. If you are able, please considering making a donation here rather than the parade this year.
If you’re new to the area – the parade fills several streets in North Admiral wth walking, riding, and rolling kids and their families on Independence Day morning, and is followed by sack races and other activities at Hamilton Viewpoint Park – here’s our coverage from last year.
(April 24th photo tweeted by @josieliming)
If your neighborhood hasn’t been visited by Seattle Fire and/or Police during one of the past three Friday nights – maybe this week! SFD and SPD will be out this Friday (May 8th), 6:30-7:30 pm, for what has just been announced as one last round of “Friday Night Lights,” with vehicles from both departments traveling through neighborhoods around the city as a show of support/solidarity. The plan is to visit areas in the highlighted sections of this map.
As we approach two months since the shutdown of schools, some are finding new ways for staff to show support for families, and vice versa. This week, two schools planned parades. First, Highland Park Elementary asked us to share the news of the one they’re having tomorrow night:
On Thursday May 7th at 5:30 the staff at HP will be coming around for a parade to see you and share joy and smiles. Not seeing you and your families for the last 6 weeks has been extremely difficult and we miss you so much. We will only be in the car and will ask that social distancing be respected but we can wave, shout, dance and celebrate how awesome we ALL are right from the car and the yard.
(Here’s the parade route) so you can plan to be in your yard, those of you out of the route area are welcome to drive and park somewhere so you can be a part! If you would like help figuring out where to park/sit so you and your family can be safe please contact Ms. S. We want to make sure EVERYONE can be a part whether you are on the route or not. We cannot wait to see you!
Meantime, Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School had a Teacher Appreciation Day parade on Tuesday afternoon, with staff standing outside the school and families driving past. We were about to photograph it when breaking news took us away, but Seth shared photos:
Anything cool going on related to your school in these most unusual times? Info/photos/tips always appreciated – westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Phase 1 has begun, and now all eyes look toward what it’ll take to get to Phase 2. But first – the newest numbers top tonight’s roundup:
KING COUNTY’S DAILY UPDATE: From the countywide data dashboard:
*6,653 people have tested positive, up 71 from yesterday
*467 people have died, up 4 from yesterday
One week ago, the totals were 6,054 and 427.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES GROUPS: As Phase 1 of his Safe Start plan got off the ground, Gov. Inslee led a media briefing to introduce leaders of three advisory groups that’ll help get the state through all four phases. Video’s in our coverage; the groups’ members are listed here.
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: As foreshadowed last week after big concrete blocks turned up in Lincoln Park‘s south lot, the city will make some parking spaces available for disabled parkgoers – more than a month after completely closing the park’s lot.
ALSO FROM SEATTLE PARKS – OFF-LEASH AREA REMINDERS: You and the pup both need to behave yourselves.
KING COUNTY PARKS REOPENING: This Friday, as announced today.
‘YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE’ ON HOLD: Among today’s city announcements – budget and personnel effects of the COVID-19 response have suspended this “participatory budgeting” program until next year.
WATER, SEWER, AND … MASKS: Seattle Public Utilities sent photos of an extra task its workers have been helping with:
Washington State water and wastewater utilities are getting tens of thousands of cloth masks from FEMA to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This critical personal protection equipment (PPE) is earmarked for front line staff at water systems across the state. More than 30,000 masks were sent to Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) for distribution to other utilities across the state.
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(Photo sent last week by Mindi)
As first reported here last Friday – after numerous WSB readers noticed those blocks in the south lot of Lincoln Park – the city is planning to reopen some parking spaces there and elsewhere for accessibility. Here’s the official announcement:
On Friday, May 8, Seattle Parks and Recreation will reopen limited accessible (ADA) parking at four major parks: Lincoln Park, Seward Park, Green Lake Park, and Magnuson Park.
In March, Seattle Parks and Recreation closed parking lots at the most popular parks in order to reduce usage of these parks. As the stay-at-home order has been extended, these parking lot closures are still in effect.
Accessible parking for people with Disabled Parking Permits will be made available at four parks, to provide access those who need parking to be able to access these parks:
*Lincoln Park — nine accessible parking spaces (four at lower beach lot, and five at the southern upper lot)
*Green Lake Park – eight accessible parking spaces at the Bathhouse Theater Lot
*Magnuson Park — ten accessible parking spaces (seven at the W6 play area lot, and three at the Off Leash Area)
*Seward Park — eight accessible parking spaces at the tennis court lotSeattle Parks and Recreation has started with these four lots as a way to give equitable access to these parks and hopes to add additional spaces at other closed lots if possible. General use parking is still prohibited at these sites.
All spots will be designated with “State Disabled Parking Permit Required” signs. No other parking is permitted in these lots, and violators will be ticketed. Lots are still closed to discourage crowding at our most popular parks, and community is encouraged to recreate closer to home.
3:40 PM: Gov. Inslee‘s first media briefing of the week has just begun, on the day that the first part of his four-phase reopening plan is under way. So what’s next? We’ll add notes as it goes.
“We still have a long way to go … but our recovery is moving forward,” he said, noting that guidance is being drafted for more businesses/activities to resume. He says he’s announcing “three advisory groups (with) a really diverse group of voices (to) help inform our decision-making.” He says each group will be a “forum” for his office to “consult with.” One is a health-care/health-systems group. Another will focus on “safe work and economic recovery.” And there’ll be a “social supports group” focusing on the need for food, shelter, etc.
3:48 PM: The governor introduces Jessyn Farrell, who will be a lead on the “safe work and economic recovery” group. She is a former state legislator who ran for Seattle mayor three years ago. She notes that some parts of the workforce were already “fragile” even pre-pandemic. She’s followed by other reps of the new groups, who each make a few remarks before giving the mic back to the governor – who is taking a two-minute break “to give one decision to someone.”
3:54 PM: He’s back and it’s reporter Q&A time. First one – has he decided on reconvening the Legislature to deal with the coming budget crisis? No decision yet but it’s likely, he says, to deal with an “enormous hole.”
Next, he’s asked about the lawsuit saying COVID-19 is no longer a crisis. He says that viewpoint is “biologically ignorant.” He says his decisions have been made “to preserve health, and life itself.”
How formal will the new advisory groups’ recommendations be? It’ll be “an organic process,” he says, later adding that the groups themselves will work out the best way to circulate/distribute them.
Next: What about the other activities/businesses listed for Phase 1 (landscaping, curbside retail, dog walking, etc.)? They’ll have “protocols” by week’s end, “just a few days,” the governor says.
4 PM: He’s asked about officials who are speaking out against the stay-home order. He says that if they saw “the tears” of the families who’ve lost loved ones, they might feel differently. He stresses that the “vast majority” of people “get this.” Asked about a potential second wave of COVID-19 infections, he says vigilance is vital. Also, he reiterates that the state is still short on supplies for testing, which is “absolutely vital” to moving on. He says they’re also hopeful that antibody testing will be usable soon but “it’s very important to realize that (they are no guarantee) of immunity.” He also says you can’t read a lot into the number of new positive tests, because as they test more people, they’re inevitably going to get more positive results, so there are other metrics they’re watching closely.
4:10 PM: The briefing is over; we’ll add any links that follow with details.
Looking for a little good news? Yeah, us too. Here are a few notes about local businesses helping each other:
PPP GRATITUDE: Todd Ainsworth of Swedish Automotive is grateful to have found out last week that the business got a Paycheck Protection Program loan “and we wanted to thank Washington Federal – and Ryan Sales in particular – for their help and hard work to make it happen! We had our application submitted and were waiting when the funding ran out in the first round, but after the supplemental funding was approved, we were accepted early last week and we know that it was only possible in working with a local bank.” He notes that West Seattle Autoworks – which he co-founded – also got into the PPP through Washington Federal, working with Renee Vo.
LUNCH GRATITUDE: Cathy sent this note:
As an employee of PCC, I just wanted to mention the kindness of Craig Haveson of West Seattle business STS Construction, who purchased lunches from Husky Deli for the entire staff at PCC Community Market in West Seattle as thanks for our service to the community.
We appreciate his generosity and were so grateful for the delicious sandwiches Husky made for us!
STS also did the same for West Seattle Thriftway, according to this WST Instagram post, with an assist from Alki Lumber.
(Note: Five of the businesses mentioned above – Swedish Automotive, West Seattle Autoworks, STS Construction Services, PCC Community Markets, and West Seattle Thriftway – are WSB sponsors.)
What the governor calls “Phase 1” of transitioning out of near-total shutdown starts tomorrow. Here’s the roundup for tonight:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard:
*6,582 people have tested positive, up 118 from yesterday
*463 people have died, up 5 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 5,990 and 416.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
SIGNS OF SUCCESS: Public Health says there’s reason for optimism in “two recent reports that are consistent with data” the agency itself has collected/analyzed..
HOW COVID-19 IS AFFECTING SFD AND SPD: Both posted updates today – SPD says 7 of its employees have tested positive (unchanged from the last two weekly updates) and that 24 employees are in quarantine or isolation; SFD says 18 of its employees have tested positive, with 17 currently in quarantine or isolation.
BE A LIFE-SAVER: The pandemic has disrupted donations. If you can donate blood, you have multiple opportunities to do that here in West Seattle this month – Combat Arts Academy (5050 Delridge Way SW) is hosting a pop-up blood drive.
TEE TIMES TOMORROW: Golfing is allowed in our state again as of tomorrow. The governor said so a week ago, but it wasn’t official for the West Seattle Golf Course (and the city’s three others) until a city announcement today.
THE REOPENING PLAN HAS A NAME: The governor formalized last week’s announcements – including the stay-home extension to May 31st – with an order today, and the title “Safe Start Washington.”
ABOUT THOSE ‘STREET CLOSED’ SIGNS: Lots more went up today, mostly on Puget Ridge and in Highland Park, as part of another expansion of “Stay Healthy Streets.” (See the map here.)
They’re open to residents and deliveries, closed to through traffic. As noted in our followup, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways is proposing a major expansion, with suggested West Seattle routes including all of Beach Drive SW.
NEIGHBORHOOD ART: Neighbors’ creativity keeps brightening the days. Noodle sent the photo, explaining that the local yard with a “Where the Wild Things Are” theme last month has now switched to “James and the Giant Peach”:
GOT INFO? PHOTOS? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(WSB photo, looking east on Trenton from 17th)
MONDAY REPORT: As announced last week, more east West Seattle streets are now closed to through traffic as part of the city’s “Stay Healthy Streets” program. The first round two weeks ago included streets in High Point and a bit south; the new stretch is primarily in Puget Ridge and Highland Park. (Update – text list was inaccurate so we’ve removed it; please see the SDOT map.)
The SHS-designated streets are closed to all but local motor-vehicle traffic – defined as residents and deliveries – and open to bicycling, walking, running, etc., 24/7, TFN.
The city has said it’s continuing to evaluate potential expansions. This afternoon, the advocacy group Seattle Neighborhood Greenways proposed what it called a “crowdsourced, 130-mile, network of Stay Healthy Streets,” including some potential West Seattle additions such as the entirety of Beach Drive SW. See the SNG proposal mapped here. The group also has an FAQ document here.
TUESDAY NOTE: If you didn’t catch the difference between the green and blue lines on the map, as Don Brubeck of West Seattle Bike Connections (part of the SNG coalition) points out, much of Beach Drive is proposed for parking-lane conversion, not the full width.
(WSB photo)
The latest order by Mayor Durkan will allow West Seattle and the city’s 3 other municipal golf courses to reopen tomorrow, the date Gov. Inslee chose for allowing the sport to resume. As we reported at the time, his order didn’t automatically give local courses the green light – city and county authorities are allowed to keep tighter restrictions – but one WSB commenter said last week they had already booked a tee time. Noted in the city’s announcement:
Courses will follow new operational guidelines and strict physical distancing practices which include: signage to indicate social distancing guidelines, minimized face-to-face interactions, removing high touch surfaces, increasing sanitization practices, converting sit-down food and beverage service to take-out only, eliminating equipment rentals, closing mini golf and using golf ambassadors to enforce social distancing. Seattle Parks and Recreation is also developing a pilot to provide hours when the public can run, bike, or walk within the golf courses.
The rest of the order extends other existing Seattle Parks closures through May 31st, the new expiration date for the governor’s stay-home order.
The COVID-19 response interrupted plans for West Seattle mobile blood drives, and compounding that with the bridge shutdown, it’s been challenging for local would-be donors to be able to help. Now, there’s a way! Combat Arts Academy (5050 Delridge Way SW) is hosting “pop-up blood drives” starting today. CAA’s Sonia Sillan sent this word from Bloodworks Northwest:
Combat Arts Academy Gym in West Seattle will be hosting a new Pop-Up Donor Center, providing donors a convenient, local location to donate blood during statewide stay-at-home orders. The governors of both Washington and Oregon recognize the crucial role that Bloodworks donors fill in sustaining community health, so leaving home to donate blood is a crucial and safe activity exempt from both states’ stay-at-home orders. Local, state, and national leaders are unanimous – donating blood remains a critical and safe activity for community health.
Thankfully, the number of new coronavirus cases in our region has been declining recently, which means that soon, hospitals will once again be able to begin performing elective surgeries which were cancelled or delayed during the first weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak in a successful effort to stabilize the blood supply. The resumption of these surgeries will increase the demand on our blood supply – in addition to the cancer, trauma, transplant, and critical surgery patients we always support – and to meet that challenge, we need all our donors to step up. So pre-book your next donation to make sure patients get the fighting chance they deserve.
All donations at this Pop-Up Donor Center and our other Donor Centers are by appointment only to provide the safest donation environment and adhere to all social distancing guidelines. Additionally, no walk-ins, guests, or people under age 16 are permitted onsite. Your one-hour donation appointment is a safe and essential action to support local hospitals.
Various dates and times are available; you can make an appointment by going here. (Thanks to the readers who tipped us about this just before we heard from Sonia at CAA!)
The numbers top tonight’s roundup of pandemic-related news:
TWO MORE LOCAL DEATHS: The daily update on the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard shows two more local deaths since Saturday’s update – the first one in 98116, the ninth one in 98126. Here are the updated totals:
98116 – 1
98136 – 1
98106 – 2
98146 – 4
98126 – 9
COUNTYWIDE NUMBERS, WITH AN ASTERISK: The countywide case total posted today, 6,464, is lower than yesterday. Here’s the county’s explanation:
There are many serology (antibody) tests currently available that have not been evaluated and validated by the FDA and the accuracy of results based on antibody tests in general is not known. Therefore, at this time WA DOH AND PHSKC will only report results based on PCR testing for SARS-CoV2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), which accurately identifies people with current COVID-19. As of 5/3, there are 154 King County residents reported with a positive COVID-19 result that was based only on antibody testing; these results have been removed from our case counts.
The King County death toll, meantime, is 458, up 2 from yesterday.
WEST SEATTLE MAN LOSES 3 RELATIVES TO COVID-19: Multiple readers sent the link (thank you!) to this heartbreaking Seattle Times report – the story of Raymond Lee, a West Seattle resident whose mom and two sisters all died of COVID-19 last month. The women lived together in Snohomish County, the story says.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
THOSE OTHER NUMBERS: Also this weekend, a state update on unemployment filings – in the two months since COVID-19-related job losses began, 787,533 people have filed to seek benefits.
FARMERS’ MARKET REOPENS: After seven Sundays without a West Seattle Farmers’ Market, it returned today, with a new layout:
That’s what it looked like when we were there in the first half-hour. More photos here. Will it be back next week too? That’s up to the city.
WATCH FOR ‘STREET CLOSED’ SIGNS: The “Stay Healthy Streets” expansion announced last week to facilitate more “distancing” space for walking, running, and riding is supposed to start early this week. See the map and list in our story.
REOPENING TOMORROW: C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW, alley side; WSB sponsor), as announced Saturday. And remember – we’re still updating our restaurants/beverage-businesses list!
GRATITUDE: The photo and report are from Brookdale West Seattle:
Before the world was threatened by the COVID-19 outbreak, we created the Everyday Heroes program for associates who excelled in serving our residents and patients.They embody our selfless spirit.
We also recognize, now more than ever, our community partners who assist us. They are on the front lines helping to maintain the health and safety of our residents and many in our community. And we’re so proud of you all.
To our Frontline Partners – Thank You!
Each sign – like the ones on 59th SW in Upper Alki – honors a specific group of workers. You can see them on the west side of 35th, south of Avalon.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
11:07 AM: That’s the view on the western approach to the entrance of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, open – in a highly modified format – until 2 pm, first one in almost two months. The entrance is at California/Alaska, and the booths line the usual block north to Oregon from there.
Be sure to wear your mask – both sellers and shoppers have their faces covered. The booths are lining each side of the street, plenty of space to walk inbetween.
We were there less than half an hour ago; the nearest Junction parking lots still had many spaces – very different from a pre-pandemic market day. (One thing we didn’t see – the line, which commenter Elton advises to approach from the east side, via 42nd.)
Before you go, be sure to read about the modifications and policies (here’s the original reopening announcement we published last Wednesday).
Here’s the list of vendors. No prepared food for consumption on site – this is very no-nonsense, get what you came for, keep moving, exit at California/Oregon. A little humor seen along the way at one booth:
March 8th was the last WSFM before today; days later, Mayor Durkan ordered the markets closed as “permitted events” even though days after that, Gov. Inslee’s stay-home order labeled them “essential.” Many discussions with the city followed; two weeks ago, permission was granted for the U-District and Ballard markets to open, and then today, West Seattle.
11:53 AM: Just went back for a drive-by check of the line; see photo above – it stretches, distanced, along SW Alaska, ending just short of 42nd.
Starting the 10th week of the COVID-19 outbreak in King County, here’s our Saturday night roundup:
ONE MORE LOCAL DEATH: We’re continuing to check the by-zip-code breakdown on the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard. Today, the 98146 zip code – which includes Arbor Heights and The Arroyos as well as parts of Burien and unincorporated North Highline – added another death. The totals for the five zip codes that are all or partly within West Seattle:
98116 – 0
98136 – 1
98106 – 2
98146 – 4
98126 – 8
COUNTYWIDE TOTALS: Also from today’s SKCPH data dashboard update:
*6,507 people have tested positive, up 100 from yesterday
*456 people have died, up 7 from yesterday
One week ago, the totals were 5,811 and 399.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
FARMERS’ MARKET REOPENS TOMORROW: The hours are the same (10 am-2 pm) but otherwise, lots of changes. The entrance will be at California/Alaska, and you’ll move north from there. The rest of how it will work is in the announcement we published Wednesday. Take the Shoppers’ Oath before you go! Here’s the list of vendors expected tomorrow…
NEIGHBOR DAY, PANDEMIC EDITION: Today was Neighbor Day! Since events are still not allowed, that meant neighbors doing acts of kindness for others. Example: Tamsen Spengler of the West Seattle Timebank reports, “West Seattle Timebank member Alice made 9 face masks for member Rachel’s family. Happy Neighbor Day exchange!” Tamsen also sent this photo of two of the recipients wearing the new masks:
SPEAKING OF MASKS … they were the hot topic in our weekly update on local grocery shopping.
MESSAGE IN A WINDOW: Thanks to Noodle for the photos of a West Seattle business-window sighting:
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
In our nightly coronavirus-response-related roundup on April 22nd, we mentioned #SeattleTogether, for which the city commissioned artists to create 1,000 signs to be displayed in neighborhoods. Michael Taylor-Judd let us know that North Delridge has more than two dozen of them, and shared photos.
So, where to see them? He also made a map of where to look:
The original announcement lists the commissioned artists: Amaranta Sandys, Asia Tail, Danielle Morsette, David Rue, Denise Emerson, Hailey Tayathy, Hugo Moro, Lauren Iida, Lin-Lin Mao, Nasrin Afrouz, Shawn Parks, and Vikram Madan.
The signs are also destined for other unspecified West Seattle neighborhoods – so please let us know if YOU see them!
This is the seventh consecutive Saturday for our weekly check-in on grocery shopping at West Seattle’s standalone supermarkets. No big changes this week – but at least one is coming up next week: As we reported Thursday, West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) is going to require face coverings for shoppers starting Monday (May 4th). Don’t want to wear one? Thriftway also has curbside pickup – see how it works via the store’s website.
Let us know if you’ve seen anything new in your shopping! (Here’s how last week’s discussion went.) And if you need to check hours, our original list of those is still up to date.
The suspense is over; a new expiration date is attached to the stay-home order, and that starts tonight’s roundup:
MAY 31ST: That’s the extended end date Gov. Inslee announced this afternoon, two days after he said the order would be extended without saying until when. That’s four added weeks, if you’ve lost track. He also detailed the four phases in which the state’s economy would reopen, without attaching dates aside from saying each phase would be in place at least three weeks before a move to the next one would be considered:
See a full-size version here; see video of the announcement (and media Q&A) in our coverage.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Exactly nine weeks after the announcement of King County’s first confirmed COVID-19 case, here’s today’s update from the Public Health data dashboard:
*6,407 people have tested positive, up 99 from yesterday
*449 people have died, up 3 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 5,689 and 387.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
PARK PARKING CHANGES AHEAD: More than a month after Seattle Parks closed the parking lots at Lincoln Park (and elsewhere), something new showed up in the south lot:
The blocks in the background are three of a half-dozen-plus placed around the lot by the city, which responded to our inquiry by saying they’re part of a test to see how they might partly reopen the lot for ADA access.
MORE ‘STAY HEALTHY STREETS’: The day began with SDOT‘s announcement that the next expansion of this program closing certain streets to through traffic (residents and deliveries are OK) would include another east West Seattle stretch. See the map and list in our coverage.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS – AND SPRAY: Tonight, the morale-boosting hour of Seattle Fire crews tourine neighborhoods included this sight off Alki:
Thanks to those who sent photos! That one is by Raul Baron.
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Two things coming up tonight:
CORNER BAR, ONLINE: First Friday means the Highland Park Improvement Club Corner Bar. Still can’t do it in person, so tonight they’re presenting an hour of live music online, 8-9 pm:
Come join us for an hour this Friday evening. We missed April’s event and who knows when we are all going to get together again. This one will be from the comfort of your own home.
Evan Flory-Barnes will livestream us some songs and we can all sit around at home, have a drink, and dance along.[The livestream will be via HPIC’s Facebook page]
These are difficult times for a lot of us. Please feel free to tip Evan at your favorite sites – Venmo @Evan- Flory-Barnes PayPal evflorybarnes@gmail.com or the Cash App. $EvanFloryBarnes
Also, there are no events at the club since the stay at home order has been in effect – feel free to join the HPIC as a member, and help us chart our course for the future.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, #3: If you missed the mention in last night’s roundup – look for SFD trucks/engines driving through neighborhoods, with flashing lights and maybe even siren bursts, 6:30-7:30 pm tonight.
It’s set to happen in the highlighted areas on this map.
2:34 PM: Just under way in Olympia, Gov. Inslee‘s briefing, with health officials, at which he’s expected to talk about “phases” of reopening more of the state’s economy. We’ll be updating as it goes.
He says he’ll “issue a new extension of the Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order on Monday, and that businesses will be allowed to reopen “in four phases.” Monday’s order will extend Stay Home, Stay Healthy “through May 31st.”
But “what we’re doing is working,” he insists. He says he’s making “good, data-based decisions (about) reopening at the right pace.” He notes that 800+ Washington residents have died so far and rebukes those who claim the threat is “exaggerated.”
2:40 PM: The four phases, he says, are:
Phase 1 – “Essentially where we are right now” with recent partial reopenings of construction, recreation, etc. Plus: Retail curbside pickups, drive-in spiritual services, car sales, car washes will be allowed. A ban on “large gatherings” will remain in place.
Phase 2 – More recreation, including camping, small gatherings, in-store purchases, barber shops & salons, some offices, pet care services, restaurants with reduced capacity.
Phase 3: 75 percent capacity for restaurants, 25 percent for bars, movie theaters and gyms with partial capacity, nonessential travel, more
Phase 4: “Resuming the majority of public interaction.”
He says cities and counties would be free to keep tighter restrictions in place.
Now – how will those phases be triggered? By “data,” Inslee says. He’s going through a variety of charts. (PS – We keep losing the video feed but are monitoring audio via the media call-in line. The details should be available via the governor’s website later, too.) No specific dates have been mentioned for anything beyond the 5/31 extension of the stay-home order. One of the key metrics, as he’s said before: Increased testing. Also: Contact tracing; protecting those most at risk; health-care readiness in case there’s a case spike. “We will be looking at all these metrics … on a regular basis … to determine whether we can move to the next phase. … We’ll have three weeks, at least, between phases, to determine whether (changes have) worked or not.”
10 counties with smaller outbreaks (none in the urban area) may be able to move to Phase 2 sooner than others, he says. “What we learn from those counties can help (other) counties as well.” Other counties “may be able to apply for a variance” depending on data, he says. But “this remains a precarious situation,” he warns.
2:56 PM: On to Q&A. He’s asked what kind of testing numbers he’s looking for. He says that depends on the status of the outbreak when more test kits – he says the feds have promised 1 million – arrive.
Then: So realistically, restaurants and salons (etc.) won’t be reopening before June – how are you going to deal with people about that? The government insists “the vast majority of Washingtonians” understand this is necessary. “We don’t want to do this twice – it’s hard enough to do this once. … The hard-headed science tells us we have one decision here if we want to continue on the road to recovery.”
Also: What are the repercussions if a county reopens without state permission? He didn’t answer.
And: Looking at the three-week gaps (at least) suggested between phases, “does this take us to mid-July”? Would he have to extend this again? Inslee says that’s a realistic assessment for returning to large gatherings but it’s “possible …we’d get a large break” such as a cure/treatment.
Next: What if there’s a “great uprising”? Inslee says that “hasn’t happened” and he doesn’t expect it to, citing again indications of widespread public support and saying people in this state “are willing to make temporary sacrifices” to stop the outbreak. He adds, “I feel good about the course we’re on” and feels he has given people “hope” by outlining these phases.
Also: Amazon is allowing some to work from home through much of the fall. Reaction? Inslee says he suspects more people might do that permanently. “I want to thank the enlighened business leadership in our state” for adopting telecommuting early on.
Another Q: By mid-May, if Phase 1 is fully implemented, could restaurants, hair salons, etc. reasonably hope to reopen under Phase 2 by June 1st? A little “deeper in June,” the governor says, “but that depends on the course of the virus.”
Then: What’s the prospect of in-person school reopening in fall? He sees a “good probability” but says that what happens in the weeks ahead will have a major bearing on that.
Also: Is it reasonable to expect restaurants can survive with restricted capacity? Inslee says he was talking with a Starbucks executive who said they’re “adapting” so he believes that’s what everyone needs to do.
He ends by thanking everyone “who has helped us design this Reopening Washington plan,” and wraps up at 3:21 pm. Links with details should appear before long at governor.wa.gov.
4:53 PM: Here’s the chart the governor showed, showing what’s included in each “phase.”
(Photo sent by Glenda)
Thanks to everyone who has tipped/asked us about this! Thursday afternoon, we started hearing about those new additions to the south parking lot at Lincoln Park, more than a month after Seattle Parks closed it and some other parks’ lots. We checked some of the other closed lots around the area – nowhere else, just this lot. This morning we asked the city about them. Our reply is just in: “”We are looking at ways to provide ADA parking access without reopening the whole lot. We will have more to share in the coming days.”
P.S. Thanks to everyone who continues to share sightings even before official announcements are made (like last week’s boarding and unboarding of Alki benches) – that’s true community collaboration! Email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 any time.
The purple line on that map (also viewable here in PDF) shows the next West Seattle stretch of what the city calls “Stay Healthy Streets,” closed to all motor-vehicle traffic except those accessing homes or businesses. This comes two weeks after the city’s first round of “Stay Healthy Streets” included a stretch in and south of High Point. The full announcement is here. Though it doesn’t name the streets verbally, as best we can tell from the map provided, north to south (mostly), it’s:
*21st SW from 22nd to Myrtle
*Myrtle from 21st to 17th
*17th from Myrtle to Webster
*Webster between 17th and 15th
*15th between Webster and Kenyon
*Kenyon between 15th and 17th
*17th between Kenyon and Delridge
Also:
*Trenton between (corrected) 17th and 10th
*11th between Cloverdale and Trenton
The announcement says the “Street Closed” signs should be in place by “early next week.”
*
No announcements or pronouncements on the local front of the coronavirus crisis today, but of course we have notes for the nightly roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard:
*6,308 people have tested positive, up 126 from yesterday
*446 people have died, up 10 from yesterday
*1 of those deaths was in West Seattle – the 98126 zip code now has 7
One week ago, the countywide totals were 5,569 and 384.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: More than 3.2 million cases – a third of them in the U.S. See how that breaks out, nation by nation, here.
GOVERNOR SPEAKS TOMORROW: In his Wednesday briefing, Gov. Inslee promised more details Friday on the “phased” plan for getting to an end of the stay-home order at some unspecified time after May 4th. He’s set to speak at 2:30 pm tomorrow, joined by state health officials; you’ll be able to watch the livestream on TVW, and we’ll carry it too.
MANDATORY MASKS #1: The requirement is becoming a grocery-shopping trend.
MANDATORY MASKS #2: Labor and transit advocates are calling for them to be required when riding public transportation.
ARE PETS AT RISK OF COVID-19? Here’s a UW study that hopes to settle the issue.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS #3 6:30-7:30 pm Friday, SFD and SPD will be out cruising through neighborhoods, this time in the highlighted areas of this map. Even if you don’t see them, you might hear them – we heard the short siren/horn bursts last Friday night from miles away!
SIGNS TO SMILE BY: Thanks to Theresa for sending the photo of this fence display that no doubt brings smiles to those passing 46th SW/Glenn Way:
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
New trend in grocery shopping: Mandatory masks. You’ve probably heard that Costco will be requiring shoppers to wear them starting next Monday. Now we have a local grocery store adding the requirement: West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) announced today that it will require shoppers to cover their faces, also starting Monday. Checking other stores – Metropolitan Market says it’s “asking” shoppers to wear masks; PCC Community Markets (WSB sponsor) “strongly encourage” customers to do it.
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