40 Replies to "CORONAVIRUS: Thursday 5/14 roundup"

• Ewing33 May 14, 2020 (9:38 pm)

  Can we take a moment to highlight that nobody in King County died from coronavirus today?? When was the last time we can say that happened? Great job social distancing everybody! 

  • Stay well May 15, 2020 (8:20 am)

    Yes, it’s good to see this! I think there have been occasional days throughout this where zero deaths were reported but it seems like it’s been awhile, and would be great to see more. Let’s hope as more things start opening back up we can all manage this in such a way that transmission is more controlled and fewer people die from this going forward. Our governor is creating a strategy and framework that will help but it will take committed individual actions to succeed. I wish we could keep everyone safe from this. :( Thanks everyone for trying your best to keep yourself and others well. Stay strong.

• J May 14, 2020 (9:50 pm)

  I am thankful for the multiple dashboards in the county. It’s great that ER visits have peaked and are down. That shows that our stay at home time has worked very well! But until there is testing for all residents at all care facilities then we will not know how it is really going for our seniors and most vulnerable. People often die in facilities without going to the hospital, if they are not tested (ideally in multiple rounds for antigen) we may never know the truth. Facilities could serve as reservoirs sparkling off new community infections if the virus isn’t made visible and stamped out there. The White House knows the value of frequent testing asymptotic people and staff in facilities to reduce the chances of outbreaks. They are testing themselves daily. The president mentioned SNFs should now test everyone, is anything being done to make that happen for all our facilities? I know Providence took a leading role to test and fight the virus at the Mount, but I haven’t heard about that being an approach taken, or available, anywhere else around here.

• safety man May 14, 2020 (9:50 pm)

  Please listen to the city and state officials in these tough times. I shot this today down on alki. There was about 30 people on the beach at Alki.

  • Canton May 15, 2020 (6:56 am)

    What is it about this picture that violated anything? The sunbathers and the wave chasers are obviously more than 6 ft apart. 30 people at Alki, is nothing, compared to normal. Why are you taking random photos of sunbathers?

  • OkayThen May 15, 2020 (7:28 am)

    Did you happen to see what the smaller text on the signs said?

  • I think it's ok May 15, 2020 (8:39 am)

    According to the parks website, beaches are open, despite the “beach temporarily closed” signhttps://parkways.seattle.gov/tag/covid/

    • WSB May 15, 2020 (9:27 am)

      Just to clarify, that sign (and the others like t) does not say the beach is closed. The sign says that park is temporarily closed “at 8 pm.”

  • West Seattle Hipster May 15, 2020 (9:27 am)

    Looks like they are doing a good job social distancing.  Did you get permission before taking her photo?

    • Chuck Jacobs May 15, 2020 (12:42 pm)

      Permission is not required when taking photos or video from a publicly accessible area for personal use or news purposes. 

      • Rumbles May 15, 2020 (6:06 pm)

        Chuck is correct.

        https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/photographers-rights

      • West Seattle Hipster May 15, 2020 (6:20 pm)

        While you are correct, I doubt the person that took the photo is a legitimate member of the media.  Kinda creepy…

        • Rumbles May 16, 2020 (3:13 pm)

          To be clear, they don’t have to be a member of media to take a photo.  If you are in a public place, with no expectation of privacy, you can be photographed.  It happens all the time.

          The permission you are probably thinking about is for commercial use. Is it creepy, maybe, but it’s legal.   

        • WSB May 16, 2020 (4:38 pm)

          Absolutely correct that NO PERMISSION IS REQUIRED for photographing someone/something in public OR something that’s visible from a public place, no matter who the photographer is – media, pro, passerby – no matter who (or how old) the subject is – no matter whether the photo is for noncommercial or commercial use.

  • Stay well May 15, 2020 (10:57 am)

    Thanks for sharing this photo of people getting fresh air and social distancing.

    Also good to encourage people to follow the guidance.  Let’s keep the beach and public spaces looking more like this than typical Alki for now!

• Elton May 14, 2020 (11:47 pm)

  I saw a bunch of older kids playing at the whale tail playground, are play structures open again? 

• kellym May 15, 2020 (6:06 am)

  Am I missing something? Entirely possible.  The linked memo doesn’t actually lay out any rules around those activities.  Is there another memo or document where those could be found?

  • WSB May 15, 2020 (9:41 am)

    I should have linked the announcement that linked the memo AND the guidance (rules). Have updated.
    https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-issues-additional-guidance-outdoor-recreation-phase-1-and-phase-2

• Mj May 15, 2020 (8:11 am)

  Over one million Washingtonions have filed for unemployment!

  • Stay well May 15, 2020 (10:51 am)

    The unemployment situation is awful but is TEMPORARY.  Death is worse and is permanent.  Working will resume gradually and eventually, and the economy will rebound in time.

    That’s a lot of people not worsening this pandemic by being close to others in work places right now.

    • Cool Rick May 15, 2020 (12:16 pm)

      The “if it saves one life” stance is bad for so many reasons. We make risk tolerance decisions as a society every day where the variables are a functioning society and the economy on one side vs death and serious injury on the other. There are thousands of traffic accident deaths and millions more severe injuries every year which could be almost entirely eliminated if we instituted a national speed limit of 25 MPH, even on interstates. We don’t because it would be a serious impediment to society.

      This stance also ignores the very real secondary consequences of the shutdown strategy. The CDC is now warning there will likely be a spike in child mortality rates and we could see outbreaks of long dormant viruses like measles due to a pause in child vaccinations. Advance screenings for things like heart disease, colon cancer, etc have been paused and will almost definitely result in a rise in mortality rates. The UN is now warning up to a million children could starve globally due to the global recession/depression this situation has created. There is a real statistical correlation between increases in the unemployment rate and decreases in life expectancy and increases in suicide rates, etc. It’s a real problem that a lot of people are looking at this as a binary decision where the options are shut down and “save lives” or open up and “cause deaths”.

      The shutdowns made sense at first. We didn’t know what was coming, and H1N1 and SARS hit hard across age groups more evenly. Now that we have better data and know that this is only a serious risk for elderly and people with significant underlying comorbidities (avg age of a COVID death is between 75-79 in states reporting that data) it’s time to start opening up in a responsible manner – the Sweden approach. It’s completely illogical to remain on a universal shutdown policy.

      • AMD May 15, 2020 (1:41 pm)

        Sweden has closed higher grades of public schools and banned gatherings of over 50 people already.  They’re giving serious consideration to closing bars and restaurants now because their death rate is 5x that of neighboring countries.  Sweden is the worst of both worlds: restrictions exist, but not enough to stop a higher death rate.

        • Um, No! May 15, 2020 (2:49 pm)

          Actually,  if you read beyond the typical spin put out by most internet based new sites, Sweden is not that bad off compared to other European countries.  You know, if we’re interest in Science and Data? Interesting to see how Sweden compares to other countries with significant lockdowns vs. Sweden who was much less strick.  

        • Stay well May 15, 2020 (5:36 pm)

          When looking at data like this, there are a lot of other factors to consider, in addition to each country’s approach to managing the pandemic. For example, each country’s size, population, density, culture, etc.Interesting discussion from an article I just read…<span style=”font-family: PTSerif, Georgia, serif;font-size: 18px”>“There are various social and epidemiological reasons that, if Sweden’s strategy works, it might only apply within its borders. While comparisons to Denmark and Norway may be apt, comparisons to larger, more diverse countries are not. “What works for Sweden will not work for the UK,” said Kao. &nbsp;Sweden’s first case arrived later, too, so it had more time and information than other countries to begin social-distancing measures.</span><span style=”font-family: PTSerif, Georgia, serif;font-size: 18px”></span><span style=”font-family: PTSerif, Georgia, serif;font-size: 18px”>It may have an easier time executing them, too:&nbsp;Sweden has a small population of 10 million—about the size of Georgia or North Carolina—and that population is spread out. Over 50% of homes are&nbsp;</span><a href=”https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/DDN-20170905-1?inheritRedirect=true” style=”cursor: pointer;font-family: PTSerif, Georgia, serif;font-size: 18px” rel=”nofollow ugc”>single-dwelling households</a><span style=”font-family: PTSerif, Georgia, serif;font-size: 18px”>, which lowers the risk of transmission. Many people work from home and have fast internet access. Some have noted that Sweden’s character is well suited for social distancing. A popular meme is a before and after Covid picture of a bus stop, with people two meters apart in both frames.<span style=”font-family: PTSerif, Georgia, serif;font-size: 18px”> There’s a cultural X-factor, too. Sweden’s   strategy is notable for what it says about trust in the country: among citizens, and between citizens and their institutions. The government’s confidence in the citizenry underpins the policies established thus far, and it is trust in their institutions that, for now, leaves most Swedes supporting the current approach. But some no doubt share the dystopian feeling described by one Stockholm resident who told Quartz, “We are all part of a social experiment that we did not ask to be part of.”</span>

        • Um, No! May 15, 2020 (6:34 pm)

          Size of the country is irrelevant in the stats from Johns Hopkins I mentioned.   They are directly comparable to other countries. I quoted stats, not a news article.  

        • Stay well May 15, 2020 (8:30 pm)

          Looking at just these stats without considering many other factors is an oversimplified way of comparing and discussing the pandemic response in different countries.The reasons are more complex than just one country has significant lockdowns vs. the other does not, as the article I referenced touches on. Check it out, it’s interesting to consider some of the more granular factors in this.

        • Stay well May 15, 2020 (7:51 pm)

          (sorry for the formatting issues of previous comment… reposting so it’s readable)

          When looking at data like this, there are a lot of other factors to consider, in addition to each country’s approach to managing the pandemic. For example, each country’s size, population, density, culture, etc.

          Interesting discussion from an article I just read…

          “There are various social and epidemiological reasons that, if Sweden’s strategy works, it might only apply within its borders. While comparisons to Denmark and Norway may be apt, comparisons to larger, more diverse countries are not. “What works for Sweden will not work for the UK,” said Kao. Sweden’s first case arrived later, too, so it had more time and information than other countries to begin social-distancing measures.

          It may have an easier time executing them, too: Sweden has a small population of 10 million—about the size of Georgia or North Carolina—and that population is spread out. Over 50% of homes are single-dwelling households, which lowers the risk of transmission. Many people work from home and have fast internet access. Some have noted that Sweden’s character is well suited for social distancing. A popular meme is a before and after Covid picture of a bus stop, with people two meters apart in both frames.

          

          There’s a cultural X-factor, too. Sweden’s   strategy is notable for what it says about trust in the country: among citizens, and between citizens and their institutions. The government’s confidence in the citizenry underpins the policies established thus far, and it is trust in their institutions that, for now, leaves most Swedes supporting the current approach. But some no doubt share the dystopian feeling described by one Stockholm resident who told Quartz, “We are all part of a social experiment that we did not ask to be part of.”

        • AMD May 15, 2020 (6:26 pm)

          Your fancy graphs are missing Sweden’s neighboring countries (which is what I referenced).  As of today, Sweden has 36 deaths per 100k, Norway has 4 per 100k, Finland has 5, and Denmark has 9 (so Sweden is only 4x one of its neighboring countries, my bad).  These are the numbers SWEDEN is looking at when considering further restrictions (which they are) in addition to the ones they already have (they did close bars and restaurants that didn’t maintain social distance guidelines, back in April).  If you have to cherry-pick data to make your graphs and ignore the countries next door that have similar cultures, climates, and population densities in order to illustrate your point, facts are not what is driving your conclusion.

      • Stay well May 15, 2020 (2:00 pm)

        This isn’t an ‘if it saves one life’ stance. 

        It’s about managing the wide and long term impacts of a pandemic, in an intelligent, informed, strategic, and responsible way. 

        I don’t hear anyone saying let’s keep absolutely everything shut down right now and indefinitely.

        Consider for a moment a playground see-saw…

        One one end you have the current economy concerns and all that encompasses.  

        On the other end you have the current pandemic/virus spreading concerns and it’s impacts.

        If we put too much weight on the ‘economy concerns’ end, the pandemic issues go up (more people sick, more deaths, hospitals overwhelmed, longer term economy issues, etc).

        If we put too much weight on the pandemic concerns side, and keep everything closed, the immediate economy issues go up (unemployment, businesses closing, financial insecurity, etc). 

        The approach our governor and many other leaders are taking is attempting to slowly, strategically, and gradually shift this, now that we have established some control with the pandemic after the stay home measures. If we shift things to quickly or dramatically, the other side will quickly spike back up.

  • AMD May 15, 2020 (12:35 pm)

    I’m one of them and I’d rather be indefinitely unemployed than get COVID and give it to my loved ones.  I’m fine with the restrictions, I think Inslee is doing a great job of handling things, and I’m glad he’s listening to scientists.  Please feel free to speak to your own experiences and preferences, but do not use MY unemployment to bolster your arguments.  

• jissy May 15, 2020 (11:01 am)

  https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2020/05/seattle-parks-without-parking.html?fbclid=IwAR1JnUJ02ZoUjSkkCgVRWw23mxTkT8YnCofQFEDOjkVcAsYeGf6dGlaTWJs

  • CAM May 15, 2020 (11:50 am)

    I really had enjoyed following Cliff Mass’ updates for extreme weather conditions. Apparently an earlier version of this post didn’t just compare park closures to communism and dictatorships, it also compared it to the Holocaust and restrictions by the Nazi government. I’m going to have to think long and hard before I’ll go back there again. Thanks for letting everyone else know. 

  • Stay well May 15, 2020 (1:36 pm)

    Outdoor transmission is much lower than indoor, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any risk. The risk seems to increase when people congregate near one another and stay there for a period of time. That is why leadership is encouraging people to ‘keep it moving’ and not congregate, while enjoying parks, trails, and beaches.

    Some of the first restrictions leaders lifted were pertaining to outdoor activities, because they recognize outdoor activities have a lower risk than indoors. However, there is still some risk.

    It’s prudent to try to mitigate potential risks of spreading the virus, both indoors and outdoors, at the start of this when there has been and is still much to learn. I support these decisions, which have been made to help keep people healthy.

  • twtiss May 15, 2020 (1:46 pm)

    I didn’t see the earlier version of the Cliff Mass post, but I appreciate the one linked above.  We’re allowed to pack into grocery stores and home depot, but so many huge outdoor spaces are restricted and empty (yes I know there are supposed to be occupancy limits, but even so people would be closer together than if they were outside).And yes, the signs are very obnoxious.   Very misleading – why not just be direct with their communication?  

    • Clarry May 15, 2020 (5:27 pm)

      Cliff Mass is spot-on in everything  he says. In addition concentrating on activities where there is little to no risk just because there is still some risk is an ineffective strategy when negative reaction easily outweighs any possible positives.  It’s like someone can’t see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to eliminate all risk. Concentrate where there is actual risk.

      • Canton May 15, 2020 (11:10 pm)

        Well said. Cliff isn’t mincing words. He’s taking an actual scientific approach, and looking out for social concerns. Sounds like he’s also concerned about making people stay indoors, isolated without the UV necessity to build said immunity. The Governor said, we need science to dictate this, correct? Cliff Mass for governor! Mass is about science.

• anonyme May 15, 2020 (11:30 am)

  I’m not sure I understand the new rules about wearing a mask in ‘public places’.  Does this include taking a walk around the neighborhood?  I always have one with me as more and more people are refusing to socially distance, but not sure if masks will be required anywhere outside my own yard, or just in certain circumstances.

  • WSB May 15, 2020 (2:56 pm)

    First and most importantly, as we reported while covering the announcement: This is “guidance,” not a requirement. Some media outlets unfortunately have not made that clear. Businesses and other private properties are allowed to require them but in a public place, if you choose not to wear one, there’s no penalty because this is not a law.

• Tom McBride May 15, 2020 (12:20 pm)

  The Governor’s memo link is incorrectYou have it ashttps://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-issues-additional-guidance-outdoor-recreation-phase-1-and-phase-2f the trailing ‘f’ should not be there.https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-issues-additional-guidance-outdoor-recreation-phase-1-and-phase-2is correct.

• anonyme May 15, 2020 (7:02 pm)

  Thank you for the clarification!

Sorry, comment time is over.