4:48 PM: After briefings by Gov. Inslee and King County Executive Dow Constantine about reopening the economy, it’s now Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s turn. She’s first addressing the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Notes as it goes.

She expresses grief and sympathy, promises continued improvement for SPD – whose Chief Carmen Best is standing behind her – and acknowledges protest plans in this city.

The chief then speaks, saying, “A few days ago, we all watched the tragic murder of George Floyd. .. What really bothers me about this … is that everyone there, including the officers, showed a grave indifference to life.” She says the SPD will support “peaceful protest.” She’s followed by Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins. “As the mayor and police chief have said, this was wrong.” He adds that SFD has a plan – that he hopes won’t be needed – for responding to fire and other emergencies during protests. The mayor stressed that they’re not expecting violence here, but have to be prepared.

4:57 PM: Now on to the COVID-19 economic reopening and King County’s plan to pursue a “modified Phase 1” reopening. For 12 weeks, she says, Seattle has been “a model for the rest of the country” as well as starting out as “the epicenter of the pandemic.” As reopening begins, she stresses,”we can’t relax all the restrictions simultaneously.” Mask-wearing, distancing, etc., are vital to keep the virus from spreading.

The mayor says she knows business owners and others have lots of questions. She is now taking Q&A from reporters. First: Will the mayor attend any of the George Floyd protests/events? She hasn’t decided yet.

5:10 PM: Most of the other questions have focused on the preparations for expected Seattle demonstrations rather than the reopening.

Regarding outdoor dining space expansion, the mayor says a plan is being worked on right now with multiple departments as well as communities – she says it’s another potential opportunity to “turn the streets” into something community-enhancing.

At 5:14 pm, Durkan wraps up to say that everything was going great until “the bottom fell out” when the pandemic hit, and now it’s time to “build resiliency” and help people, because we are “not out of the woods” – even the George Floyd protests don’t worry her so much for a violence potential as for a virus-spreading potential. “I believe in Seattle, I believe we can come through this (and be) better than we ever were before.”

NOTE: Since the video feed has now gone back to regular Seattle Channel programming, we’re replacing with a screengrab from the briefing until archived video is available.

4:01 PM: A little over an hour ago, Gov. Inslee announced the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” will end Sunday night as scheduled, and will be replaced with new directives and a county-by-county philosophy for reopening. So King County Executive Dow Constantine and health leaders are speaking now about this county’s next steps. We’re adding notes as it goes.

First – a news release is now out – here’s the full text:

King County Executive Dow Constantine, in consultation with Public Health – Seattle & King County leaders, announced that pending state approval, King County will begin to re-open some business activity with limited or modified openings for a number of sectors.

Working with community, business, and government partners – including the County Council and Board of Health leadership – King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that the county is prepared to move forward to allow limited or modified openings for several business sectors and personal activities.

King County has not yet met key criteria to enter Phase 2 of the Safe Start plan and case counts are still unstable, so it will move forward with a modified approach, including partial re-opening of the following businesses and activities:

Recreation and fitness
Only allowed outdoor with 5 — not including the instructor — or fewer people outside of household

Gatherings
Only allowed outdoor of 5 or fewer people outside the household

Additional construction
As outlined in Phase 2 guidance

Manufacturing operations
As outlined in Phase 2 guidance

Real estate
25 percent of building occupancy
Indoor services limited to 30 minutes

In-store Retail
15 percent of building occupancy
Indoor services limited to 30 minutes

Personal Services (clarification: barbers/salons are part of this category)
25 percent of building occupancy

Professional services
25 percent of building occupancy
Indoor services limited to 30 minutes for customers

Photography
As outlined in Phase 2 guidance

Pet grooming
25 percent of building occupancy

Restaurants
No indoor dining allowed
Outdoor dining is permitted but seating at 50 percent of existing outdoor capacity.

King County will continue monitoring progress over the course of two weeks, and if metrics are more stable and meeting the state’s criteria, more businesses and activities will reopen in accordance with Phase 2.

“Thanks to the people of King County, whose united efforts have flattened the curve and saved thousands lives, we are ready to continue safely, carefully reopening our economy,” said Executive Constantine. “Our continued vigilance against the virus can help make this a one-way journey from lock-down back to prosperity, and I’m excited that folks will soon be able to support our local businesses by doing simple things like dining at an outdoor restaurant, getting a haircut, or shopping for a summer outfit.

On May 27, Public Health – Seattle & King County released a new dashboard featuring key Indicators, with targets that help inform reopening decisions. Based on trends toward all the targets, public health officials and policymakers believe these openings, done safely, will enable much-needed economic activity while also protecting the public and managing the spread of disease in our community.

“Working together, King County residents have made real progress in decreasing the number of COVID-19 cases and the burden on our healthcare system, allowing us to move forward cautiously at this time,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public health – Seattle & King County. “The virus continues to circulate widely and most of us remain susceptible. With increased activities at work and other settings, there will be more opportunities for the virus to spread, so it’s absolutely essential that we sustain significant changes in how we go about our lives for the foreseeable future.”

With the limited re-opening, maintaining the safety principles that led to the success against the outbreak has never been more important. These include continuing to practice physical distancing of 6 feet or more, minimizing contact with others outside the home, frequent hand washing or sanitizer, use of cloth face coverings in public, and avoiding group gatherings and poorly ventilated spaces.

With testing increasingly available in King County, it’s critical that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 seek a test immediately. Testing as soon as possible after symptoms appear is important to prevent COVID-19 from spreading to family, friends, and the community. Public Health’s COVID-19 website has more information about the testing, including to get tested.

4:05 PM: Constantine says all of this is a “big step” toward recovery, though the cost of the outbreak has been “devastating.” Though the county doesn’t fully qualify for Phase 2, things are “moving in the right direction.” He says this can be a “one-way journey back to prosperity” if everyone continues to act prudently and safely.

Next up: County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin. He says this is a manageable level of cases but would like to see fewer.

In Q&A: Constantine says he’s confident that vigilance, plus contact tracing when there’s an infection, can work to keep the disease’s numbers down from hereon out. If anyone can do it, he says, King County can.

What about new CDC guidance advising that people drive to work alone? Constantine says it’s “not realistic to think that everyone in our region is going to be able to drive alone to work” so they’ve one everything they can to make transit safe. He says in particular, because of the West Seattle Bridge, our area will require more transit to get around (Water Taxi as well as buses).

What about high-risk people? They’re still at high risk, Dr. Duchin says, so advice continues that they stay home as much as possible. In response to another question, he says he beiieves what the county’s seeking is “appropriate.” He also reiterates the importance of getting tested quickly, and isolating if you’ve been exposed.

In response to two other questions, a timeline: They expect it’ll be a “few days … once we get the documentation together.” What about zoning to allow more outdoor dining? For the cities, it’s up to them; the county only has zoning jurisdiction for the unincorporated areas (such as White Center).

4:30 PM: More on the timeline – a statement from Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says she was told the county will apply on Monday. So theoretically – within a week.

Asked about testing availability, Dr. Duchin says they’re continuing to work on expanded availability, and there should be more information about that on Monday. (The list he mentioned includes the new Friday testing at South Seattle College.) They’re already working on home testing.

At 4:37 pm, Constantine wraps up with words of gratitude. “Everybody stepped up in King County” to fight the outbreak. “We fought it, and got ahead of it, and we’re going to keep fighting it.” He says the trip “from lockdown to prosperity” needs to be a “one-way trip” … with “sustained control of this virus. … I am very confident that we have what it takes to keep this under control.”

Next up, a media briefing with Mayor Durkan. We’ll be covering that separately – it’s starting around 4:45 pm.

With two days left until his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order expires, Governor Inslee is presenting an update right now. We’ll add notes as it goes. Whatever he announces, King County leaders plan their own update shortly afterward; we’ll carry that live, separately, too.

He says the stay-home order WILL end Sunday night. He says the tough measures weren’t an over-reaction – they’ve resulted in lower death rates because “we got it right.”

What’s next? County-by-county rules and policies, Inslee says, using those “new tools” such as testing, contact tracing, masks. He cautions this does NOT mean a “return to normal.” He says metrics will be used to approve whether counties can move forward or be “dial(ed) back,” and he’s outlining the metrics that will be watched, including targets such as notifying 90 percent of an infected person’s contacts within 24 hours of a positive test result. Another focus: “Protecting the vulnerable.”

He notes that counties are now getting more “flexibility” to move ahead – maybe with some activities in the next phase but not all, if they don’t meet the phase-advancing criteria. And now he’s talking about th importance of face coverings, which he says “can be very effective in protecting the other person” – a “small thing” to protect someone else’s life. “A face covering is an expression of love … a badge of commitment,” so that means new guidance for workers to wear them unless they’re working alone. Employers will need to require them. This will take effect June 8th.

2:55 PM: If you have trouble with the TVW feed, refresh the page or try the direct link. Now speaking, Dr. John Lynch from Harborview/UW Medicine, who says he’s been working on the COVID-19 response from the start; he underscores the importance of mask wearing because you could be asymptomatically spreading the virus, unaware. Physical distancing remains important too. Staying home when you’re sick is also vital.

The governor then reiterates, “We’re not done yet” – the outbreak could resurge – and that’s why taking precautions is vital. The stay-home order was a “lifeboat” for a few months and “we’re getting out of that lifeboat now” but getting into a different one. And staying close to home remains important, not overwhelming popular tourism spots – the day will return when traveling freely will be OK, he promises.

Now Q&A: How long will the turnaround time be for counties’ applications to move ahead, under the new criteria? State Health Secretary John Wiesman says at least a few days for conversations and evaluation, but “as quickly as we can.” The governor adds that the contact-tracing program will be county-managed – “you need to show us it’s really working.”

Second question is about the new looser case # per 100,000 – why is it OK now but wasn’t weeks ago? The health secretary says they wanted to start “conservative(ly)” to make sure it was safe. “There is no magic number here,” he insists, also noting that the new number is the one some other states are using now, such as California. The governor says new modeling also gave him confidence.

What about the possibility of flare-ups? The governor says that’s in our hands – taking simple steps (mask wearing, distancing, etc.) can prevent it. What about schools and colleges? That’s a separate process, and discussions are under way already. … Why weren’t masks required sooner? Their value wasn’t clear in the early going, the governor says – learning about this disease and how to fight it has been “an iterative process.” To clarify, retailers won’t be forced to refuse service to non-mask wearers (though they can CHOOSE to) but they WILL be required to post a sign asking people to wear masks. That’s the state rule, anyway, though, the governor points out, counties have the right to have tougher rules.

The governor wraps at 3:37 pm by saying, “These decisions today are based on our confidence in Washingtonians.” Archived video should be available soon, and we’ll link documents such as the new replacement order when available. Now on to the county briefing.

Another briefing from the governor – but still no final word on June 1st. That tops our roundup again tonight:

MAYBE TOMORROW? Gov. Inslee said he MIGHT have more to say on Friday about what happens June 1st (aka Monday). Otherwise, the briefing’s main topics were testing of patients/staff at long-term-care and assisted-living facilities and protection for farm workers; here’s our coverage

NOW THERE ARE 26: Kitsap and Clallam counties joined the Phase 2 list today.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard

*7,986 people have tested positive, up 55 from yesterday

*552 people have died, up 3 from yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 7,645 and 534.

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

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: More than 5.8 million cases, 1.7 million of them in the U.S. (four times Brazil, which has the second-highest total). See the global outbreak breakout, nation by nation, here.

NEW WEEKLY TESTING IN WEST SEATTLE: We briefly mentioned this in last Friday night’s roundup but didn’t get details until tonight – weekly COVID-19 testing starts tomorrow, 10 am-3 pm, in the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) north parking lot.

FOOD-AID UPDATE: From the state’s daily virus-crisis newsletter:

This week WSDA’s Food Assistance program distributed 1.09 million pounds of food, enough to serve more than 170,000 clients. In addition, Washington National Guard soldiers and airmen helped box nearly 2.8 million pounds of food and assembled more than 51,000 meals. Since March, Guardsmen have boxed more than 18.4 million pounds of food and assembled 1.1 million meals.

SPEAKING OF THE NATIONAL GUARD … the president won’t be pulling federal funding early after all. As we’ve reported, both the West Seattle and White Center food banks have been getting help from Guard soldiers.

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

The governor’s still mulling June 1, and tonight’s other virus-crisis toplines:

WHAT THE GOVERNOR SAID & DIDN’T SAY: We’re still in suspense as to whether the stay-home order will be extended or will expire Sunday as scheduled. The governor’s only announcement today was a loosening of the rules for religious gatherings – in Phase 1 counties like ours, under 100 people can gather outdoors to worship, but with precautions.

Here’s our coverage of today’s briefing.

MOVING TO PHASE 2: The county that is home to the state capital, Thurston, just won approval, as did Kittitas and Walla Walla.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary data dashboard:

*7,931 people have tested positive, up 35 from yesterday

*549 people have died, up 5 from yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 7,617 and 530.

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

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.

WHAT’S A ‘CLOSE CONTACT’? From the state Health Department’s nightly digest:

Today, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) updated the definition of a COVID-19 close contact to align with new CDC guidance. The new guidance states that a close contact is defined as someone who was within six feet of someone with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes. Previous guidance stated 10 minutes.

“Our guidance has changed over time as we learn more about COVID-19, and will continue to do so in the future,” said State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy. “This update doesn’t change our recommendations for members of the public. We continue to urge people to maintain physical distance to protect themselves and others.”

DOH will be working over the next few days to update our website and associated guidance documents.

CONGRATS, CSIHS CLASS OF 2020: Another drive-thru event in honor of seniors who won’t get to have an in-person ceremony. The Sealth staff made it as festive as possible:

The Sealth “virtual graduation” is June 17th; WSHS is June 18th. (District-wide list is here.)

ANOTHER CELEBRATION AT A DISTANCE: Anniversary serenade!

ALL IN WA: This relief coalition is presenting a fundraising concert (online, of course) June 10th, and headliners include local superstar rockers Pearl Jam (which you of course know includes West Seattleites!).

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