CORONAVIRUS: Thursday 4/23 roundup

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

The governor’s making an announcement tomorrow morning, and that tops tonight’s roundup:

GOVERNOR’S NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT: It’s set for 11:30 am Friday, and you can guess the subject from the guest list:

The governor will be joined by Greg Lane, executive vice president, Building Industry Association of Washington and Mark Riker, executive secretary of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council.

Gov. Inslee had said earlier this week that a resumption of residential construction was likely soon. You can watch his remarks and media Q&A via livestream here.

BUT WHAT ELSE IS AHEAD? From the state Health Department‘s daily bulletin:

Our epidemiological data suggest that COVID-19 activity peaked in Washington at the end of March. While activity declined during early April, this decline may have slowed during the past week. Data from the past week are always preliminary and difficult to interpret so we will not fully understand these data for another week. The public health system in Washington is currently responding to outbreaks of COVID-19 in long term care settings, homeless shelters, food processing plants and among agricultural workers.

The Department of Health has convened an expert group of modelers to analyze our epidemiologic data. This group predicts with a high degree of confidence that relaxation of social distancing conditions to pre-covid19 levels will result in a sharp increase in the numbers of cases after 2 weeks. The group also believes that current diagnosis counts are still too high to lessen social distancing measures within the next two weeks.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard:

*5,569 people have tested positive, up 120 from yesterday

*384 people have died, up 5 from yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 4,809 and 320.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: More than 2 million cases. See how that breaks out, nation by nation, here.

‘KEEP IT MOVING’ = NO SITTING: A new level of restrictions spotted at Alki Beach Park:

(Photo by Victoria Gnatoka)

The park may be open, but the benches are “closed,” with boards across them, as of late today. We have an inquiry out to the city to ask where else this is being done.

ALSO NOT HAPPENING AT ALKI: This year’s Alki Art Fair is the latest big spring/summer West Seattle event to be canceled – but watch for online spotlights next month.

FIRST SERVICE CUTS, NOW CAPACITY CUTS: More changes for those who need to ride Metro buses in these pandemic times.

NEED A MASK? Local family’s making them to raise money for local nonprofits.

NEED FOOD? Here’s the menu for the free meal available via KBM Commissary on Delridge – home to many food-truck and catering chefs – this weekend.

WHY TAKEOUT IS BETTER THAN DELIVERY … for the restaurants fighting to stay afloat.

DIFFERENT DELIVERY: Tomorrow night, SFD and SPD vehicles will be out for a second round of “Friday Night Lights.” If you see them, please send a pic!

GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!

bill April 24, 2020 (6:19 am)

When will our nursing homes and Assisted Living Centers get testing for Staff and all Residents?What are you waiting for??????

East Coast Cynic April 24, 2020 (7:10 am)

If the Governor takes the epidemiologic data as seriously as he has been since the crisis began then I suspect a lifting of the SOH to be no earlier than the end of May or early June.

TWST April 24, 2020 (8:20 am)

While out on the bike this morning, I felt moved seeing others out in the world, how we’re all carrying on, getting through this the best we can, and trying to do the right things. It’s pretty amazing what people can survive and rise up from.

For those who are sick with this virus, take good care, fight, heal.

Good job everyone, happy Friday.

S - in West Seattle April 24, 2020 (9:00 am)

This really needs to stop. The police state is out of control. We need to start getting back to normal and I’m tired of people staying things will never be the same. This type of out of control policing telling us what we can and cant do will not be tolerated much longer or in the future. Who are you to tell me I cant sit outside. I haven’t seen our government start to round up homeless people and place them in quarantine. The equality that has been going on is way off balance. Government construction jobs are allowed, but privet are not. Pot shops and liqueur stores are open, but gun shops are not. It seems to me that the governor has a one sided view in favor of the political party is identifies with. Who are you to say my job is not essential, when it provides me and my family with a roof over our heads, food on the table, and an economic future.

Um, No! April 24, 2020 (11:00 am)

Weed & Booze = BIG $$$$$ for the state. Gun & Ammo sales, not so much. And, Guns are bad bad bad. LOL! And yes, it’s definitely political.

anonyme April 24, 2020 (9:49 am)

Are retirees around here seeing stimulus payments yet? Especially those of you who have no income other than Social Security…?

Anna April 24, 2020 (10:09 am)

What I don’t understand is why the restrictions are increasing. The closed bench thing just seems silly. I think 95% of the time people sit on benches alone, or with their family, and avoid sharing a bench with a stranger. Some of these smaller restrictions seem really pointless and like they are in fact about control. Why can’t my immediate family and I walk to a park in our neighborhood, put out a blanket and look at the trees? It makes no sense.

Lola April 24, 2020 (10:30 am)

I don’t get why the Parks are open, yet the lots are closed to park in? Making it a hazzard for both the Cars going by and the people wanting to use the park, they park on the opposite side of the street having to run across to get to the park making the cars having to stop in the middle of the street to let them by. It makes no sense. Now they are closing the benches? Just close the whole damn Park as this is getting crazy.

TWST April 24, 2020 (4:35 pm)

The parking lots are closed because they don’t want people who live outside of the parks neighborhood swarming to the parks. The parks are still open for people within walking/biking distance of them. They’ve said, you can go for a walk in your neighborhood for some essential exercise, including in your neighborhood park, but keep it moving, and otherwise, they really want people to stay home. This is a pandemic, it makes sense there are restrictions, but I understand it feels crazy.

P - IN SEAVIEW April 24, 2020 (10:34 am)

Cliff Mass had a great post challenging the notion that the park restrictions are at all based on science: https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2020/04/why-outside-air-is-safe-and-park.html As much as Inslee, et al claim restrictions to be based on science, it seems more based on what they can dream up and practically implement.

J April 24, 2020 (11:47 am)

Any further news from our local care facilities? Here’s a link to a recent CNN article… https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/24/us/nursing-homes-coronavirus-invs/index.html https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/04/24/us/nursing-homes-coronavirus-invs/index.html

Jim P. April 24, 2020 (1:35 pm)

The bench thing is silly and discriminatory. Some of us who need to get out and walk so we don’t end up in a wheelchair can’t walk all that far at any one go and have to sit down now and then.
Ten seconds thought would have shown you can set them up so only one person per bench can sit and thus use them but keep the social distancing intact.

Like so many crisis things, this was done with no thought of the needs of the handicapped who thereby become outcast and disposable.
Just like the “drive up” testing stations and “drive thru only” food/groceries has no provisions for those of us who cannot drive. Having to go clear across town (by cab, both ways) when there is local testing is not a solution any more than the old “separate but equal” schooling was for racial issues.

am not on a par wit the “I have the right to get sick and infect others any time I want” poster elsewhere but this stuff needs better thought processes to minimize the negative effects while achieving the goal.

Sorry, comment time is over.