CORONAVIRUS: Sunday 3/29 roundup

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

We usually stick to the local info, but there was a presidential pronouncement tonight of note, so it tops our roundup:

SOCIAL DISTANCING UNTIL APRIL 30: That’s what the White House is now recommending. That’s a guideline, not an order, so it’s up to Gov. Inslee to decide how long the statewide “stay-home order” will last, though as reported earlier this week, he has already strongly hinted he’ll extend it beyond the two-week period currently scheduled to end April 6th.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From today’s Seattle-King County Public Health news release:

Cases reported today are an approximation. Case numbers draw from a Washington State Department of Health database that is in the process of being updated. We expect to have an official count tomorrow.

Public Health—Seattle & King County is reporting the following estimated cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 3/28/20.

2,159 estimated positive cases (up 82 from yesterday)

141 estimated deaths (up 5 from yesterday)

13 people are currently staying in King County isolation and quarantine facilities

The King County numbers one week ago tonight were 1,040 confirmed cases/75 deaths.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

NO, YOU DON’T HAVE TO DISINFECT YOUR GROCERIES: The state Health Department published this to clear that up.

TRANSIT TOMORROW: With dropping ridership, Sound Transit extends reductions to West Seattle-serving Route 560 as of Monday. Meanwhile, Metro starts a second week of reduced service. (Have you seen the “safety strap”?)

BUSINESS UPDATES: Another closure of note … and more restaurant/beverage changes (some closing, some reopening).

‘PAY IT FORWARD’ POP-UP: As noted on the list, Shug’s Soda Fountain continues a pop-up at what will someday be their West Seattle “mini” location. Customers have embraced this sweet “pay it forward” deal:

View this post on Instagram

We want to say thank you to this incredible community for purchasing so many ice cream sandwiches for our healthcare heroes — we will be delivering almost TWO HUNDRED treats to local hospitals, and it’s all thanks to you. This is such a difficult time for all of us, but we will get through it together! 💓 #payitforward #ShugsSodaFountain

A post shared by Shug's Soda Fountain (@shugssodafountain) on Mar 29, 2020 at 2:42pm PDT

FINAL WORD: Seen by Lisa in Arbor Heights this week:

GOT A PHOTO? INFO? TIP? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice our hotline, 206-293-6302 – thank you!

bolo March 29, 2020 (10:22 pm)

So glad we have such a diligent governor in Governor Inslee. He’s been steadfast, surefooted, and reliable during this perilous period. Thank you governor, for basing you difficult decisions on science.

The White House, on the other hand, has been whipsawing us around so much that it has got to the point that some trustworthy news sources are no longer blindly broadcasting his press conferences.

Just as I was looking forward to happy Easter festivities as promised. Well, maybe all is not lost. Looking forward to the “Easter is back on” tweet about midweek.

J March 30, 2020 (2:54 am)

Also, the same research that the health department claims to have read does have some implications that they could help with. It is clear that food handlers of all kinds should be masked until they can be vaccinated. I know there are not commercial masks available, but perhaps they could put out guidance on homemade masks as a last resort until our supply chain is restored.