Coronavirus daily news updates, March 18: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state, and the nation – Seattle Times

Editors note: This is a live account of updates from Wednesday, March 18, as the events unfolded. Click here to see updates from Thursday, March 19.And click hereto find the latest extended coverage of the outbreak of the coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2; the illness it causes, COVID-19; and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world.

Life is different in the Puget Sound region as most people by choice or by order practice social distancing to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the new type of coronavirus that causes a disease called COVID-19. Gov. Jay Inslee said late Sunday he would further restrict public gatherings and temporarily close places of entertainment and recreation statewide. Hemade the order official Monday morning.

As Washington gains the capacity to test more people for the virus, more COVID-19 diagnoses are made each day. The state Department of Health announced 175 new cases Wednesday, bringing the state total to 1,187 cases, including 66 deaths.The bulk of cases remain in King County, which has seen 562 people fall ill and 56 of them die, according to the countys public health department.A Seattle-based expert estimates the U.S. could have 10 times as many cases as have been confirmed.

Throughout today, on this page, well be posting Seattle Times journalists updates on the outbreak and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world. Updates from Tuesday can be found here,and all our coronavirus coverage can be foundhere.

The following graphic includes the most recent numbers from the Washington State Department of Health, released Wednesday afternoon.

9:50 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

Redmond City Hall will remain closed until May and other city facilities are closed until further notice, the city of Redmond said Wednesday.

The public safety building, maintenance and operations center, fire stations, Redmond Community Center at Marymoor Village, Old Firehouse Teen Center and the Farrel-McWhirter Barnyard are also closed. City employees will work remotely, the city said.

The Redmond police and fire departments remain fully operational. The courthouse is closed until March 27; civil orders of protection hearings and in-custody criminal matters are being conducted by video.

Paige Cornwell

9:32 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

The Washington Supreme Courtissueda sweeping order Wednesday evening, which, among other things,postponesall civil and criminaljurytrialsas well as all non-emergency civil matters,until after April 24,citing the COVID-19 pandemic. The order also says the courts must allow telephone and video appearances forallcriminal matters scheduled within that timeframe.

Another part of the orderexpedites pre-trial release hearings andmakes it easier to release pre-trial defendants who are vulnerable to COVID-19 infections. Itexplicitly statesthatthe novelcoronaviruspandemicfor these peopleconstitutes a material change in circumstances one of the factors that can change abail order that has already been set.

The most important implication is we can move for the release of in-custody defendants without having to risk our health by showing up in person, said defense attorney Cathy Gormley.

Sydney Brownstone

7:41 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

Late Wednesday, national child care chain Bright Horizons decided to close most of their centers by the end of the week until April 27. They have about 20 locations in the Seattle area and will keep some centralized centers open. In a letter to employees, workers were given the option to continue working for increased pay at a nearby center if it is possible or to work through the companys back-up in-home caregivers program. Others will receive two weeks of pay and benefits.

The states Department of Children, Youth and Families is encouraging child care facilities to continue serving their communities and to make their educated decisions based upon what information and recommendations are coming from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH).

DOH issued new guidelines this week, which suggested having kids do activities together in groups of 10 or less and keeping those groups consistent from day-to-day. Among the other long list of recommendations, they suggest staggering pickups, dropoffs, and meals to avoid having many people in one area.

Many child care workers have expressed concerns about their safety but feel they need to continue working to get a paycheck. They are not eligible for unemployment benefits unless they are officially laid off.

Read the full story here.

Anne Hillman

6:58 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

Health officials say Congress must change the rules for the allocation of personal-protective equipment and other medical materials from national stockpiles or the state, hard-hit by the coronavirus, will never get what we need.

Public Health Seattle and King County Director Patty Hayes said Wednesday the current system allocates supplies from the national emergency stockpiles based on state populations, which she said doesnt take into account the ferocity with which the disease has attacked the Evergreen State.

Hayes said pandemic planning exercises had been undertaken with the belief that an outbreak would occur in a specific area or region and that equipment and supplies needed from the federal governments strategic reserves of medical supplies and equipment could be allocated in that area.

The novel coronavirus, however, swamped the entire country and overtook the governments ability to respond to it. Now, Hayes said, local supplies of materials that are desperately needed particularly personal protection equipment such as masks and gloves are dwindling and the method used by the feds to allocate those supplies by population isnt taking into account how hard Washington has been hit. Hayes said the county has approached the states congressional delegation with the problem.

Hayes and Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, the public health officer, on Wednesday provided reporters with an overview of the first days of the emerging world health crisis, describing a growing sense of unease and concern as the state that reported the first U.S. case of COVID-19 became the first to report a death.

That same day, Duchin said, the health department received a call from Life Care reporting an unusual number of respiratory illnesses. About the same time, he said, Evergreen Hospital contacted the health department to report two odd pneumonia cases, one of whom had been a patient at Life Care.

Duchin sent a public-health nurse into the center even as tests on the Evergreen Hospital patients were hand-delivered to the state laboratory. What they found at the center was 20 sick residents, six with suspected pneumonia, and 18 Life Care workers sick. Most concerning, he said, was that Life Care had tested 30 residents for influenza suspecting that was the cause but the tests came back negative.

Thats when we became concerned that we needed to look at what was happening at Life Care more closely, he said.

Mike Carter

6:53 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

U..S. Attorney Brian T. Moran has asked federal state and local law enforcement to be on the lookout for frauds preying on concerns over COVID-19.

In a time of high stress and fear it is critical that for the public to know that law enforcement at all levels remains dedicated to protecting them from harm whether it is from scams, frauds or violent crime, Moran said in a release. We will remain vigilant in detecting, investigating and prosecuting wrongdoing related to the crisis.

Moran said the Western District of Washington has extensive expertise in cybercrime and is already monitoring issues related to phishing attempts and efforts to infect emails, links and postings with malware. Members of the public need to be wary of emails or online posts that could be infected with malware that could then infect their electronic devices and steal personal and financial information.

The pandemic is dangerous enough without wrongdoers seeking to profit from public panic and this sort of conduct cannot be tolerated, Attorney General William Barr said in his communication to the U.S. Attorneys.

Mike Carter

6:16 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

Officials have now confirmed that 1,187 people in Washington state have COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and that 66 have died.

The numbers released Wednesday by the Washington State Department of Health include 175 more cases than identified previously. King County reported an additional 10 deaths earlier Wednesday, and an additional death was confirmed in Clark County.

Most of the deaths in the state have been in King County, where 56 people have died. Of those reported deaths, 35 have been associated with Life Care Center of Kirkland. Franklin and Mason counties saw their first confirmed COVID-19 cases, while other counties saw a rise in confirmed cases: 56 in Snohomish, 11 in Pierce and five in Skagit.

The numbers of confirmed cases have risen as the state has increased its testing capacity, but also as COVID-19 spreads. King County officials say they expect case counts to double every five to seven days unless people follow social-distancing recommendations.

Asia Fields

5:55 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

University of Washington classes will be remote through the end of spring quarter, the school announced Wednesday afternoon.

The quarter will start as scheduled on March 30, but there will be no written assignments due the first week as students and instructors continue to adjust to remote learning, President Ana Mari Cauce wrote in a letter to the UW community.

Students who left before spring break are encouraged to stay off-campus, and those living on campus will have time to get their possessions. Residence halls will remain open but all students who stay in campus housing will be required to live in buildings or apartments with private bathrooms, the university said.

There will be no change in financial aid for full-time students, the university said.

Related:The coronavirus is forcing many colleges to go online only. But will it work for everyone?

Paige Cornwell

5:28 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

Five Kirkland firefighters remain in quarantine and 37 others have been released after completing their recommended isolation period, the City of Kirkland said Wednesday.

The first responders had contact with people at Life Care Center in Kirkland, where more than 100 residents and staff members have since tested positive for COVID-19, and were quarantined shortly after.

All firefighters and police officers who had symptoms are being tested for coronavirus, the city said. One person has tested positive, and 21 others tested negative.

Paige Cornwell

5:26 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

The Washington State Democratic Party says it will move all party events online in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The partys upcoming April 26 legislative district caucuses, which are used to pick delegates to its state convention, will shift to an entirely digital voting process, as will congressional district caucuses set for May 30, according to a news release. The state party also is recommending that all county party organizations remake their county conventions, scheduled for May 3, as digital-only events.

The party also announced it will reschedule its annual Magnuson Award Dinner which already had been postponed from March 7 to May 9 to Aug. 8. The event will be held at the Washington State Convention Center.

As Governor Inslee has told us, we all have a responsibility to do what we can to slow the spread of this virus that could overwhelm our healthcare system and result in thousands of deaths if we dont all pull together and follow public health officials advice, said Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski, in a statement.

Jim Brunner

5:22 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

In a teleconference Wednesday afternoon, the Seattle School Board unanimously granted Superintendent Denise Juneau broad powers to spend without its approval until schools reopen. These powers include the ability to hire vendors without a formal bidding process, and the ability to make purchases in excess of $250,000 without a vote from the School Board.

It may not end up being necessary, said the districts lead attorney, but the resolution allows the district to react quickly without going through the normal process of approving large expenses, which requires scheduling a public meeting and the presence of at least four of seven Board members.

The resolution the Board passed also waives the requirement for in-person School Board meetings as long as they are made available to the public in other ways, such as by phone or internet.

Dahlia Bazzaz

4:24 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

The 46th annual Seattle International Film Festival, scheduled to run May 14 though June 7, has been canceled. Organizers announced the news in an email Wednesday.

While the core of the Festival takes place mid-May into early June, pre-events and activities begin up to six weeks earlier, the email said. The looming uncertainty of this crisis, and the huge amount of work that would have to be done now, makes it impossible to continue as scheduled.

The majority of the staff, SIFF announced, would be furloughed.

Read the full story here.

Moira McDonald

3:18 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

The state Department of Revenue will now have the authority to suspend penalties and interest on certain late tax payments, according to Gov. Jay Inslees office.

Washington state will implement payment plans on the core amount businesses owe without filing tax liens in federal courts and will suspend enforcement actions such as forced collections by seizing bank accounts. Those measures are expected to be in effect for at least 30 days.

The tax-collection measures also waive late-filing fees for property tax exemption renewals, business license renewals, as well as excise tax interest on Business & Occupation taxes, real estate sales, and some other taxes administered by the department. Those include interest related to tax preferences for medical device manufacturing biotechnology.

The tax-related measures are retroactive to Feb. 29, the date the governor first declared a state of emergency for the COVID-19 outbreak.

Read the full story here.

Daniel Beekman, Sydney Brownstone and Joseph O'Sullivan

3:07 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

OLYMPIA As workers brace for the economic fallout ofthe coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Jay Inslee Wednesday announced a 30-day statewide moratorium on evictions for residential tenants.

The governor also announced several other measures intended to help workers and businesses cope with the impacts of the outbreak of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Those include an order waiving the one-week wait period for people signing up to get unemployment insurance, according to the governors office. That order is retroactive for claims filed up to March 8.

And Inslee will release as much as $5 million from a reserve fund in order to give micro-grants to small businesses around the state to prevent them from closing. That process will be coordinated by the state Department of Commerce.

Read the full story here.

Daniel Beekman, Sydney Brownstone and Joseph O'Sullivan

3:03 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) says a third employee has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee works at a work-release facility in Port Orchard and was last in the office on March 5, the agency said in a news release. The employee will not return to work until they recover and will be screened before being cleared to work, the agency says.

Employees at the work-release site have been directed to report to work and return home only, limit exposure to others and monitor symptoms. Individuals housed at Peninsula Work Release are quarantined there until the end of the 14-day quarantine period, which is in seven days, the agency said.

Two other DOC employees previously tested positive for COVID-19: an employee at Monroe Correctional Complex and an employee at the agency headquarters in Tumwater.

As of Wednesday, DOC has had no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among incarcerated individuals or those under community supervision, the news release said. Still, a coalition of advocacy groups is pushing for the release of thousands of potentially vulnerable inmates. In a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee this week, the groups requested that inmates older than 56 or within six months of the end of their sentences be immediately released.

Jim Brunner

2:50 pm, Mar. 18, 2020

Health care systems that serve vulnerable communities regardless of patients ability to pay, including those who are uninsured, those who need translation services or those who might be lower income or experiencing homelessness, face unique challenges as coronavirus infections climb.

Michael Erikson, chief executive officer of Neighborcare Health, said the community health care system was dealing with medical calls well above expected volumes. Meantime, the demand for its dental services has declined.

Neighborcare which serves about 75,000 patients each year, offers 16 clinic locations in the Puget Sound region and is a safety net provider has suspended routine dental work, Erikson said.

Dental procedures, like drilling, could aerosolize viral pathogens, Erikson said, creating risk. Halting some dental work also would conserve desperately needed personal protective equipment.

Neighborcare will continue urgent and emergency dental services, Erikson said.

Neighborcare also is embracing care by telephone and asking medical patients to delay some in-person visits until its a safer time to access health care.

See the rest here:
Coronavirus daily news updates, March 18: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state, and the nation - Seattle Times