The governor says 90 percent of Washingtonians are heeding the “stay-home order” – but the other 10 percent need to “join the team.” So enforcement guidance is the newest announcement, topping tonight’s roundup:

DON’T IGNORE THE ORDER: We carried the live feed of Gov. Inslee‘s briefing this afternoon, which his office followed with this news release. He announced an online form for people who want to report business violations, and had law-enforcement-agency chiefs speak to how to report other suspected violations, with one caveat: Don’t call 911.

SOCIAL DISTANCING IS HELPING, SO DON’T STOP NOW: Not only didd the governor sound that theme today, so did the mayor.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From today’s Seattle-King County Public Health news release:

2330 confirmed positive cases (up 171 from yesterday)

150 confirmed deaths (up 9 from yesterday)

15 people are currently staying in King County isolation and quarantine facilities

To compare – one week ago, the countywide case total was 1170, and the death total was 87. Tonight, the county’s data dashboard still shows 2 deaths in West Seattle zip codes (98126 and 98136).

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

PROPERTY-TAX DEADLINE EXTENSION: If you pay your taxes directly to King County, not through a mortgage company, you have until June 1st to pay the taxes that otherwise are due on April 30th.

COUNCIL SUPPORTS RENT/MORTGAGE MORATORIUM: Seattle City Councilmembers gave unanimous support today to a resolution calling on state and federal leaders to order a rent/mortgage-payment moratorium.

OPEN RESTAURANTS/BEVERAGE BUSINESSES: While we’re continuing to update our West Seattle list of who’s open for takeout/delivery (please keep updating us about changes!), the city has come up with a new map.

TONIGHT’S FINAL WORDS: Thanks to Debbie for the photo of this sighting at Hamilton Viewpoint in North Admiral:

2:04 PM: Click into the live feed to see and hear Gov. Inslee‘s latest briefing on the coronavirus crisis, happening right now. No hint of any major announcements to come, but for those who want to hear the latest about state action regarding the crisis as-it-happens, here you go. We’ll add toplines as it goes.

He notes it’s now been a month since the first COVID-19 case in our state. He says that everyone needs to “be on the team” to fight the virus, and they’re getting reports from people concerned about non-compliance, so he’s announcing guidance for how to report violations. He says it’s a three-step process:

-Education
-Citations and if necessary revocation of business licenses
-Referring to state Attorney General as an “absolute last resort”

If you think a business is violating the order, find a “one-stop form” at coronavirus.wa.gov. Otherwise, it’s a local decision – do NOT call 911 if you for example see a gathering that seems to be a rule violation.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson then takes the mic. Along with reinforcing what the governo said, he talks about the eviction moratorium and says they’re getting complaints that not all landlords are complying, so keep letting them know.

He’s followed by State Patrol chief John Batiste who says “as a last resort, we can arrest people,” but hopes they won’t have to.

2:18 PM: In Q&A, the governor is asked why he doesn’t just go ahead and extend the stay-home order, given the new White House guidance through April 30th. He says they look at data daily rather than making a “doctrinaire approach” – though “from the data we have today, it is highly likely” that measures will go past the current order’s April 6th end. He cites the positive-test rates from some non-urban counties as one “alarming” new factor.

Next question: Why is the enforcement plan focusing on businesses rather than “pulling over cars”? While the governor says he doesn’t really want to have to do the latter, they still need more people to reduce their non-essential trips.

Other questions include more discussion of enforcement – don’t call 911, it’s again stressed – and the availability of test kits. They’re trying hard to find local manufacturers, the governor says, but they really need a national effort to make more tests. … He’s also asked about educational equity, and concerns about so many kids having inequitable access to education wth schools closed. He voices regret for that but says the virus must be defeated so this is “once in a lifetime” situation, and that has to take precedence.

3:05 PM: The governor’s wrapped the briefing, after an hour. The video window above should before long show the archived recording of it.

We usually stick to the local info, but there was a presidential pronouncement tonight of note, so it tops our roundup:

SOCIAL DISTANCING UNTIL APRIL 30: That’s what the White House is now recommending. That’s a guideline, not an order, so it’s up to Gov. Inslee to decide how long the statewide “stay-home order” will last, though as reported earlier this week, he has already strongly hinted he’ll extend it beyond the two-week period currently scheduled to end April 6th.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From today’s Seattle-King County Public Health news release:

Cases reported today are an approximation. Case numbers draw from a Washington State Department of Health database that is in the process of being updated. We expect to have an official count tomorrow.

Public Health—Seattle & King County is reporting the following estimated cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 3/28/20.

2,159 estimated positive cases (up 82 from yesterday)

141 estimated deaths (up 5 from yesterday)

13 people are currently staying in King County isolation and quarantine facilities

The King County numbers one week ago tonight were 1,040 confirmed cases/75 deaths.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

NO, YOU DON’T HAVE TO DISINFECT YOUR GROCERIES: The state Health Department published this to clear that up.

TRANSIT TOMORROW: With dropping ridership, Sound Transit extends reductions to West Seattle-serving Route 560 as of Monday. Meanwhile, Metro starts a second week of reduced service. (Have you seen the “safety strap”?)

BUSINESS UPDATES: Another closure of note … and more restaurant/beverage changes (some closing, some reopening).

‘PAY IT FORWARD’ POP-UP: As noted on the list, Shug’s Soda Fountain continues a pop-up at what will someday be their West Seattle “mini” location. Customers have embraced this sweet “pay it forward” deal:

FINAL WORD: Seen by Lisa in Arbor Heights this week:

GOT A PHOTO? INFO? TIP? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice our hotline, 206-293-6302 – thank you!

We’ve mentioned in our Sunday morning lists that some vendors from the West Seattle Farmers’ Market – which is currently closed by order of the mayor – have been coming to The Junction on Sundays (or at other times) anyway, mostly for pickups of pre-orders. Today, Kate sent photos of what she described as more of an “informal farmers’ market.”

This is the third Sunday without the official market. Farmers’ markets are described as “essential businesses” in the governor’s order from last week (see page 4), but the mayor’s order issued two weeks ago categorized those in Seattle as “permitted events” (as in, events that require special permits).

29 days after the first COVID-19 case was reported in King County, here’s our nightly roundup:

NEW HEALTH ORDER: Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin issued the “Quarantine Directive and Isolation Order” today. Read it here (PDF). The announcemnt summarizes it this way:

To protect the public, if an individual with active COVID-19 is not voluntarily remaining isolated, or if an individual who has COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, and/or difficulty breathing) with a test pending is not remaining self-quarantined, they may be subject to enforcement actions, which could include legal actions for involuntary detention.

Even with that, Dr. Duchin says that “we cannot stop the outbreak completely and our community will likely remain at risk for months to come.”

NEW KING COUNTY NUMBERS: The order was announced along with today’s numbers, in the daily Public Health news release, which reported:

2,077 confirmed positive cases (up 249 from yesterday)

136 confirmed deaths (up 11 from yesterday)

That compares to 934 confirmed cases and 74 deaths one week ago.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: 4,310 cases, 189 deaths; other state stats here.

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

GOING BEYOND THE OFFICIAL NUMBERS: Two West Seattle women started a grass-roots effort to map how many people are symptomatic, given that testing still isn’t widely available.

(Governor’s Office photo via Twitter)

LEADERS HAIL HOSPITAL: Elected officials including Gov. Jay Inslee, US Rep. Pramila Jayapal, County Executive Dow Constantine, and Mayor Jenny Durkan gathered at CenturyLink Field today – appropriately distanced – to hail the U.S. Army‘s arrival to set up a field hospital.

The hospital is meant to handle non-COVID-19 patients so that the city’s permanent health-care facilities can handle the expected crush. “We had a lot of rumors about, ‘are the military taking over Seattle?’,” said the mayor.”The answer is no – they are here to help.” P.S. After the speeches, the Q&A covered a lot of ground not-related to the hospital. Most notably, the governor said he saw too many people traveling on I-5 as he headed to Seattle – he implored more people to stay home.

GOVERNOR’S CLARIFICATIONS: Since the stay-home order took effect Thursday, the governor’s office has issued some clarifications about what it means for several industries. Today – here’s what it means for real estate and funerals (plus there’s a message for tribes). Earlier this week, a clarification about construction was issued.

HYGIENE STATION ARRIVES: One day after the announcement, we found the city-placed “hygiene station” at Westcrest Park.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESSES: We’re still updating the restaurant/beverage-business list – including this closure announcement today – and the grocery-store hours list (with a lively round of discussion).

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

Ending the week, and the second full day of the “stay-home order,” exactly four weeks after the first King County COVID-19 case was announced, here are the day’s developments:

KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: From today’s Seattle-King County Public Health news release:

1,828 confirmed positive cases (up 251 from yesterday)

125 confirmed deaths (up 16 from yesterday)

DATA DASHBOARD’S BACK: It now shows 14,140 people have test results so far in King County. Among them, in the zip codes that are wholly or partly in West Seattle:

98106 – 141 tested, 13 positive, 0 deaths
98116 – 171 tested, 13 positive, 0 deaths
98126 – 180 tested, 17 positive, 1 death
98136 – 103 tested, 8 positive, 1 death
98146 – 133 tested, 14 positve, 0 deaths

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: 3,723 confirmed cases, 175 deaths; see other state stats here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them – nation by nation – here.

MORE TESTING: Today’s county news release also has this note:

Testing capacity for COVID-19 continues to expand throughout the community through the University of Washington lab, commercial laboratories, and large health care systems. Large health care systems and community clinics are increasingly offering testing for people who are symptomatic. Residents should call ahead to providers to confirm availability and testing appointments/processes.

NEED FOOD? The city has a new interactive map showing places/times that it’s available to those who need it, including the Seattle Public Schools lunch sites, food banks, and senior centers.

NEW ‘HYGIENE CENTER‘: On the heels of the city’s announcement of shelter expansion -including room for up to 50 people at Southwest Teen Life Center – they’re also sending portable restrooms and hand-washing stations to six city parks including Westcrest Park in southeast West Seattle.

MORE TRANSPORTATION SERVICE CUTS: West Seattle service reductions (among other places) have been announced by Washington State Ferries and by Sound Transit.

ANOTHER SLOGAN: “Keep A Lid on It, Seattle.” Here’s what that’s about.

RESTAURANTS/BEVERAGE BUSINESSES: Every day we’re getting updates for our West Seattle (and part of White Center) list – if you can get takeout this weekend and help support some of these local businesses, check it out!

MEMORABLE MARQUEE: One local restaurant – Boss Drive-In in South Delridge – has a message with which we agree wholeheartedly:

Thanks to the texter who sent that!

GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!