CORONAVIRUS: Saturday 5/9 roundup

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

As we start the 11th week of the COVID-19 outbreak in King County, here’s the nightly roundup:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the county’s data dashboard:

*7,000 people have tested positive, 60 more than yesterday

*490 people have died, 5 more than yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 6,507 and 456.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: More than 4 million people have tested positive, 1.3 million of them in the U.S. See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.

SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE THE SIGNS: If the pandemic had an anthem in Seattle, it might be the Five Man Electrical Band‘s 1971 classic. Today, Seattle Parks employees continued putting up the signs noting that Alki and Lincoln Park are closed at 8 pm TFN:

Thanks to David Hutchinson for that photo and this one, just in:

David, an Alki resident, reports, “SPD vehicle made a sweep to the west and back to the east along the walkway and promenade. It’s now about 9 PM and very few people are on the beach in this area but still some extra traffic and some groups on the sidewalks” near the promenade.

ANOTHER SIGN SAGA: Meantime, south of Alki Point, on the new “Stay Healthy Street” stretch of Beach Drive, a resident reports someone stole a “Street Closed” sign and traffic cones around 3:30 am. Signs were back in place later in the day.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET TOMORROW: The market returns for its second Sunday following a two-month mayor-mandated shutdown. While the entrance remains at California/Alaska – with the line stretching alongA Alaska, and north up 42nd if necessary – you will NOT be asked to move one way once inside. Here’s the info on policies and procedures; here’s the vendor list for this week.

BUSINESS SURVEY: If you have a small business or a nonprofit, or if you’re an independent worker, consider taking the 2nd round of a 3-round survey on how the pandemic has affected you.

BE A HELPER: Food drive Sunday, if you can donate.

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

Environment Matters May 9, 2020 (10:20 pm)

It’s too bad the police officers didn’t stay down there after they did their “sweep”, as we just had several unexpected huge fireworks go off on the beach between 63rd avenue and 64th avenue, along a strip of the park in which many species of birds are currently nesting because it’s that time of the year. Shorebirds are also affected by this activity as are our marine mammals, to say nothing of our domesticated animals. Fireworks on the beach need to end. They are a serious ecological problem that creates pollution of all kinds and undue stress for all species. Given the conditions in the Alki area today, it gives me no hope that the majority of people will learn from this pandemic and the ecological lessons (of the many lessons financial, social, political) it is revealing. Sacrifice, compassion, mindfulness, co-existence with other species have always been needed, now more than ever, and yet here we are like a pack of temper-tantrummed teenagers storming the streets protesting nothing of real importance, revealing only human privilege, and very little humanity. “The world owes me nothing, but we owe each other (animals included) the world.” You’ve got two mothers; the other one is the Earth. #respect

LB May 10, 2020 (9:04 am)

Beautiful post!! We need more of YOU in this world:))
Sara Martinez May 10, 2020 (2:05 pm)

Wonderful advice! You are the type of human we need more of!! Thank you! Hang in there!

westsearsd May 9, 2020 (10:29 pm)

What is exactly is the point of closing Alki and LP at 8pm? I don’t understand how it helps anything (except reducing noise in the area).

Rob May 9, 2020 (10:46 pm)

The police don’t care. There are beach fires and smoke all over. Everybody can’t just shut their windows and turn on air conditioning. This city has become a free-for-all.

pat davis May 10, 2020 (2:25 pm)

We got a lot of smoke here in Admiral District last night as well. Not sure if it was people sitting in their yards burning wood/whatever and smoking out their neighbors? EPA RESEARCH states that all smoke causes cancer. Wood smoke (per EPA) is 12 TIMES more toxic than a cigarette. As we know people can die from even second hand cigarette smoke. So please don’t sit in your yard and emit any kind OF SMOKE. Babies, children, people with asthma, and more get their houses full of your smoke. Please pass along how dangerous smoke it and ask neighbors NOT TO CREATE SMOKE in your neighborhood.

A.R. May 9, 2020 (11:50 pm)

Thank you for keeping track of Covid-19 deaths per day; it seems like the only really meaningful metric without widespread testing. I’m glad deaths are way down from a few weeks ago.

Doug May 10, 2020 (7:52 am)

These days, several of our neighbors are regularly hosting loud dinner parties; when I go for walks, no one can handle wearing a mask. People are doing whatever they want–this is going to last for a while.

Sue H May 10, 2020 (12:36 pm)

I was walking around my neighborhood (Gatewood) Friday around dinner time and there was a house I passed where at least a half dozen people were arriving and greeting each other, presumably for a dinner party. You could tell by the way they were greeting each other that they weren’t a family living together. Was glad I had a mask on as I passed all of them.

GGMM May 10, 2020 (9:30 am)

The 8pm closures represent another empty and misguided effort by the Mayor, and only causes confusion. It does not guaranty safety or prevent transmission. Just like the dumb attempt to close off certain benches on Alki (a decision that was reversed two days later after money and labor spent), this effort wastes dollars and resources. How is restricting outdoor real estate at an arbitrary hour of 8 going to help? If the City would like to reduce the partiers on the beach (don’t get me started on Lincoln Park closure where there are no partiers, just residents generally), they should close off Harbor Ave except to local traffic on the sunny weekends. How about using the robust police presence at Alki to identify and break up any huge group. Maybe use taxpayer dollars on distributing masks to the public at those parks instead wasting it on signs and labor to put up the signs? Mayor Jenny needs to take a nap and push the reset button.

Pat Davis May 10, 2020 (2:32 pm)

Why not use all that police staff to DIRECT AND MOVE TRAFFIC from the W Seattle bridge being closed. Instead they patrol the beach? Cut of even more traffic? INSANE !!!

JAG May 10, 2020 (1:21 pm)

I saw plenty of cars disobeying the closed street yesterday and an irritated possibly drunk resident screaming at a group of young men from his front porch. Egging then on for a fight. This was around beach drive and 64th. I understand his frustrations but pretty belligerent way to address it. If the city is not going to enforce the closed streets what’s the point? The area of the street that was closed was way too small and they couldn’t even keep the cars out. There were way too many groups on Alki. Alki is not wide enough for all the clueless people who come in droves by cars and stand in the wheel lane in large crowds not moving. The street is too dangerous with people who do not care about the neighborhood or bikers on it. All of Alki should be car free except to local residences homes. Let people enjoy it recreationally without all the rule breakers and free from being run over by gear heads showing off how fast and powerful they are.

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