CORONAVIRUS: Tuesday 3/10 toplines – governor’s announcement; newest numbers; school news; more…

We start tonight’s roundup with a look ahead to tomorrow:

GOVERNOR PLANS ANNOUNCEMENT: According to a media advisory we received, Gov. Jay Inslee will be in Seattle tomorrow for a 10:15 am announcement with the King, Snohomish, and Pierce County executives and Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett mayors. The advisory says they’ll “announce new community strategies and social distancing plans to contain COVID-19.” It will be streamed at this link (we’ll also embed that for live coverage here on WSB). Regional outlets say the announcement will include a ban on events bringing 250+ people together.

TODAY’S KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the daily Seattle-King County Public Health news release:

Public Health – Seattle & King County is reporting the following confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 3/9/20

190 confirmed cases (up 74 from yesterday)
22 confirmed deaths (up 2 from yesterday)

The two deaths being reported today include:

A woman in her 80s, a resident of Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, was hospitalized at Swedish Issaquah, and died on 3/8/20. (This case was previously reported as a positive case on 3/7/20, in an earlier case count.)

A male in his 80s, a resident of Ida Culver House, was hospitalized at University of Washington Medical Center, and died on 3/9/20. (This case was previously reported as a positive case on 3/6/20, in an earlier case count.)

Of the 22 deaths reported, 19 are associated with Life Care Center.

FOR STATEWIDE NUMBERSgo here.

FOR A WORLDWIDE LOOKgo here.

SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: First SPS school with a confirmed case is Aki Kurose Middle School (not in West Seattle). Here’s the SPS news release (PDF), which notes, “There are no other known cases of positive test results at Aki Kurose Middle School or any other SPS school or facility.” Meantime, a parent tipped us that the inTandem program at the old Roxhill building (30th/Roxbury) will be closed tomorrow – here’s the notice (PDF), which says, “Today almost half of our students and twenty-percent of our staff were absent or presenting with cold and influenza. For these reasons we have decided to close the program tomorrow, March 11.” We asked SPS if any other programs in that building are affected; no word yet.

WESTSIDE SCHOOL CLOSING AS A PRECAUTION: The first major independent-school closure announced in West Seattle is Westside School (WSB sponsor) in Arbor Heights, which will close its campus starting Thursday – here’s how that was announced today.

LITTLE PILGRIM PRESCHOOL CLOSED AS A PRECAUTION: The preschool at Fauntleroy UCC has closed as a precaution, too; here’s that announcement.

THE KENNEY RESTRICTS VISITORS: This too is a precautionary move, announced today

SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES: Here’s our story about how businesses in The Junction are responding. Meantime, the city has announced an “initial package” it hopes will help small businesses stay afloat despite the loss of revenue.

NO UTILITY SHUTOFFS: The city also has announced it won’t shut off electricity, water, or sewer services during the civil emergency – details here.

BIKE-RIDE FOLLOWUP: As noted Monday, West Seattleite Kevin Freitas is launching a daily 4 pm bike ride. He tweeted from the first one:

WHAT’S CANCELED, POSTPONED, CHANGED LOCALLY: We’re continuing to update our West Seattle list – see it here. If your organization, business, church, school, group, etc. has cancellations, postponements, changes, PLEASE let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302.

WSB CONTINUING COVERAGE: Everything we publish related to the COVID-19 situation is categorized so that you can find it anytime at westseattleblog.com/category/coronavirus. We’re also using Twitter (@westseattleblog) for instant bursts..

21 Replies to "CORONAVIRUS: Tuesday 3/10 toplines - governor's announcement; newest numbers; school news; more..."

  • Friend O'Dinghus March 10, 2020 (9:43 pm)

     The unsettling announcement about the InTandem program suggests 50% of their pupils are displaying symptoms of cold/influenza (note: not COVID 19) however, I’m not sure how many middle-school aged children that represents. Anyone happen to know roughly how many students there are in this program? The program site mentions four classes, so would I be correct in thinking approx. fifty local kids in one school have come down with cold/influenza like symptoms in the last 24-48hours?

    • Jethro Marx March 10, 2020 (11:07 pm)

      They actually said 50% were either absent or presenting with symptoms. Not exactly sure how you’re parsing cold and influenza symptoms vs covid, especially in kids, but the way this is worded it could be four sick kids as easily as fifty. So no, you’d be incorrect. But hey, get freaked out, if you like.

      • Karl Tull March 11, 2020 (8:07 am)

        Goodness me just asking a question and no one is the authority including you – stop with your demeaning bs please. 

      • Xy March 11, 2020 (9:32 am)

        People won’t want to comment or ask questions when they are met with condescending replies and right now is a time for asking questions. Please Jethro. 

        • Jethro Marx March 11, 2020 (10:19 am)

          I love questions! But this is the kind of comment that later results in someone saying, “Did you hear, like, 50 kids got Coronavirus in West Seattle?” And then pretty soon CNN is asking questions like, “Could as many as 50 million Americans be infected in one Seattle neighborhood?” 

    • J. Lardizabal March 10, 2020 (11:54 pm)

      Not necessarily. The announcement says that almost half of students were “ABSENT OR presenting….” Families may simply be keeping students at home. 

  • Joshua's Mom March 10, 2020 (11:38 pm)

    The InTandem program is not a middle school.  This is a specialized program for students in grades 3 thru 8 who are receiving Special Education services. Class size may be smaller than regular classrooms. More details might be found on the Seattle Public Schools website.

  • Anon March 11, 2020 (5:34 am)

    MDs are still not testing unless you can link your disease directly to a known positive tester or are hospitalized. Because so few have been allowed to test this disease is now spreading nearly completely unchecked in our region. Our closures, and public policy, is all based on the assumption that we have widely available screening. We still don’t. Pull your kids from any school in the area now if you can and keep social interactions to a bare minimum now. Many lives are on the line and Juneau just said they will not be proactive, and that their policies are based on test results. MDs are still afraid to break rules and order tests. Do what you can to protect you families and neighbors and neighborhoods. And our leaders need to grow the balls to handle this- like last week. They didn’t. Red tape is costing lives, every one is afraid to ignore the red tape. Now it is up to us. Yes. Keep your kids home if at all possible. Look I’m afraid of crossing higher ups too, and have signed Anon, but I care about our people.

    • KBear March 11, 2020 (8:38 am)

      Anon, there’s no treatment, no vaccine, and not enough test kits to go around. It’s not a matter of “red tape” and “fear of breaking rules”. 

      • newnative March 11, 2020 (8:57 am)

        There is treatment if you’re able to get into a hospital and diagnosed. Not a cure for the virus itself but treatment for the conditions it causes. 

      • Anon March 11, 2020 (10:16 am)

        There are plenty of tests for our region for now, UW, labcorp, health dpt etc. Capacity for testing has increased. Policies are not changing to allow access.

  • Friend O'Dinghus March 11, 2020 (5:46 am)

    Thank you all for the input. I erred in assuming all absences were for certain due to students being symptomatic of a “cold or influenza”. This is why I asked for additional input. How many students ‘approximately half’ represents,  I think, is a legitimate question. I also specifically stated that I am NOT saying it’s COVID 19 (as saying that it is would infer that anyone knows definitively), however any influenza like symptoms, in substantial numbers (or percentages), in any institutional setting, like a school/dorm/retirement home/jail is legitimately a reasonable cause to take note. Have a wonderful day all. Again thank you for your perspective.

  • Friend O'Dinghus March 11, 2020 (5:50 am)
    • Thank you all for the input. I erred in assuming all absences were for certain due to students being symptomatic of a “cold or influenza”. This is why I asked for additional input. How many students ‘approximately half’ represents,  I think, is a legitimate question. I also specifically stated that I am NOT saying it’s COVID 19 (as saying that it is would infer that anyone knows definitively), however any influenza like symptoms, in substantial numbers (or percentages), in any institutional setting, like a school/dorm/retirement home/jail is legitimately a reasonable cause to take note. Have a wonderful day all. Again thank you for your perspective.
  • West Seattle Hipster March 11, 2020 (6:28 am)

    Since government will be banning gatherings of 250 or more people, how will this impact Costco, Southcenter, WS Farmers Market, etc?

    • WSB March 11, 2020 (7:31 am)

      We will see in a few hours how it’s worded …

  • Super Dummy March 11, 2020 (8:43 am)

    I picked the wrong week to start drinking Corona beer, smoke Corona cigars and buy a used Toyota Corona. 

    • WSB March 11, 2020 (9:33 am)

      As the kids say, “too soon.”

      • oakley34 March 11, 2020 (12:22 pm)

        Hey that was popularized by Joan Rivers!  Let’s give the olds their due!  Love ya WSB

  • momosmom March 11, 2020 (10:10 am)

    Can this all be linked to Life Care Center with there being other deaths at other Care Centers? And I’m meaning was there/is there a care-worker that travels from Center to Center? Just wondering. So sad all these elderly folks.  :(  

    • Mickymse March 11, 2020 (1:30 pm)

      The virus was not discovered at Life Care Center, so whoever brought it there could have just as easily brought it anywhere else. And local lab research suggests the virus has been circulating here since well before the first reported case in our region.As for access to things, getting tested would mean nothing other than confirming a case and leading you to notify other potential exposures. There is no cure and currently no vaccine, and most people will simply be sent home to recover. Immediate hospitalization is neither expected nor required, unless there are underlying conditions — which is, sadly, what happened at Life Care Center.

      • momosmom March 11, 2020 (4:03 pm)

        @Mickymse, thank you for your explanation. This is such a sad sad situation for the people lost and we can only hope “WE” can get it under control.

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