See below for COVID-19 information from today. Please forward as widely as you would like.
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The Mukilteans of May 20, 2020 are our Garbage Truck Drivers!

These professionals were nominated by a Mukiltean grandmother who shares special moments each day with her grandson over facetime, made more exciting on days that garbage trucks roll by his window. Recently, one driver in particular gave her a big smile, wave, a honk, and positioned the truck dumping maneuver for the camera!

Seems like most kids love garbage trucks (The Atlantic has a story with some theories about why; Youtuber Blippi has a video about garbage trucks (bizarre, according to me, but fun according to my nephew) which kids (and parents... just imagine) have watched 41 million times.

The Waste Management drivers have continued working throughout these months, taking care of our garbage, recycling and compost. We appreciate their hard work! These drivers all serve Mukilteo, and we honor them as Mukilteans of the Day!

Chris Godfrey
Duke Pacleb
Donald Castellon
Mike Fawcett
Francisco Godinez
Dan Peterson
Saul Klett
Whit Persell
Lanny Rott
Gregorio Preciado

Do you know someone who deserves to be the Mukiltean of the Day? Nominate them!

Congressman Rick Larsen is hosting a town hall today at 4pm. You can call in at 855.962.0954, or sign up for audio live stream: larsen.house.gov/live

Uber is now requiring face masks for drivers and passengers, certified with photos before a driver is dispatched. (Uber news release)

New York State Government has five videos about the importance of wearing a mask- they are open to the public to vote on (technically NY voters, but you can still check out the videos!). You can watch them here. They are great, take note of the submitting artists- submitted freelance art is not free to the artist.

200 people gathered at the Snohomish County courthouse to protest the stay home orders (Herald article)

Kids are having pandemic dreams, too (National Geographic article)

Apparently, Apple has pushed out an update that recognizes facemasks on the face id screen, and pushes a user straight to the passcode option. It's also possible to train your phone to recognize your face with a mask on, but it takes some time and effort! I haven't tried it yet.

The Herald highlighted some businesses, including Mukilteo's Sabor a Mexico! They wrote: "We recommend the chicken fajitas ($17.99) or the camaron enchiladas ($18.25). You might not get to enjoy the sizzle, but the fajita-spiced chicken with just the right sear, caramelized onions, and red and green bell peppers, does not disappoint."

I recommend our full list of restaurants, hosted by Discover Mukilteo (email them with updates!). In particular, I love getting chicken pad thai and pineapple fried rice from Thai Rama; a wedge salad and soup for lunch or their date night special for dinner from Red Cork Bistro; or a cheeseburger (no tomato) and a hawaiian burger (no onion) from A Burger Place; but no one can beat that house sauce at Blu Burgers and Brew!

In a new data Dashboard, the Washington Poison Center (WAPC) reports increased poison exposures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dashboard specifically documents increases in exposures to household cleaning and disinfectant products, bleach, rubbing alcohol, and hand sanitizer—many of which may be attributed to COVID-19 transmission concerns and precautions.
The new Dashboard compares WAPC telephone helpline data from the first 118 days of 2019 to the same time period in 2020. In 2020:

• Hand sanitizer exposures in children ages 0-12 years increased 52%.
• Exposures from misuse of household cleaning products, bleach, and rubbing alcohol increased 53%.
• Total suspected suicide cases (from all substances) increased 10%.
• 87% of patients exposed to hand sanitizer, household cleaning products, bleach, and rubbing alcohol were managed at home by the WAPC’s staff of healthcare professionals. Keeping patients out of the emergency department saved a total of $2,689,500 patient dollars.

The latest releases from the Governor on reopening:

Smaller counties can now apply for a variance from the order which would allow them to open even more businesses than allowed statewide. Counties are now eligible to apply if they have less than 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a 14-day span.
Under the new criteria, 10 additional counties will be eligible to apply for a variance. They are:
• Adams
• Clark
• Clallam
• Island
• Kitsap
• Lewis
• Mason
• Thurston
• San Juan
• Spokane
This link has the form these counties will use to apply. The State has also shared that those of us in counties that remain in Phase 1 should not flock to these smaller counties once they open and overwhelm and put them at risk.

All reopening guidelines can be found here.

The Boys and Girls Club and YMCA are both offering summer camp options.

Space is limited, find information about the Mukilteo Boys and Girls Club camp options here and this link for the YMCA camps.

Touching story from the Seattle Times about a letter campaign of cards that are handed out to seniors collecting food items, providing a reminder that they are not alone and that someone is thinking of them. This is especially important because even without social distancing measures, in-place isolation can be a serious burden on senior citizens and their mental health.

Not too long ago, I shared the idea of creating your own neighborhood walking tour. Feet First, the WA pedestrian advocacy group, shared a few Seattle-area walking tours, available here.

Mattel has an online playroom, when they're done with remote learning, kids can get their creative and fun spirits out on their site, link here.

Lighthouse Park, Edgewater Beach and 92nd Street Park reopened on May 5. Bathrooms are open only at Lighthouse Park 7am-7pm. Playgrounds remain closed.

Trails and sidewalks continue to be open for your physical activity! Please respect physical distance of six feet.

All City Facilities closure: City operations will continue via primarily phone, email and online. The public is encouraged to call (425) 263-8000 for assistance with City services or visit our website at www.mukilteowa.gov. Government services are not slated to reopen until Phase 3 of the new reopening plan, which is mid-June at the earliest.

For more information on city facilities, see this link.

Current case count is 56 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo, with no deaths amongst those cases, and 54 individuals who are recovered (same as yesterday).
County case counts are available at this link, updated each weekday at 2pm.