 | Here is my daily update, some COVID-19 information, some other useful information! Please forward as widely as you would like.
I want to hear from you, contact me anytime. If you're reading this because it was forwarded to you, or you saw it on Facebook and would like to receive it yourself, email me here to subscribe. | Today is Juneteeth, a holiday which commemorates the day Union soldiers read and enforced President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865. In the 155 years since, systemic racism still threatens the emotional, physical, and financial lives of black individuals and communities. Here are some resources to learn more about this significant date:
PBS. The National Museum of African American History and Culture has an essay on the topic. The writer notes, "The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of deep hope and urgent organizing in uncertain times."
They also have a video about Juneteenth, leading the viewer through their slavery and freedom exhibits. And, finally, my first Proclamation noting Juneteenth and its significance. I encourage you to read and understand this history. If you want to join an event, there are several, including one on Saturday at 2pm at Lowell Park in Everett. The Washington State Labor Council is also hosting a lunch and learnon facebook at 12:30pm today. | The state website shows the guidance for businesses, and thefull Safe Start reporthas details on what phase 2 means. ....but when is phase 3?! The Health District has their insights here. Way more info from the Health District can be found here. King County is now in Phase 2 (today), with additional information here. If you are a business owner wondering which category you fit, you can ask the State via this online form. Here is a new (easier to read) summary of what's open and what's not on the state site. The phase 1 and 2 graphics are below. | Starting Monday June 22nd, Summer Grab and Go Meals will be available for pick up from 11:30am - 1:00pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday at: Challenger Elementary School
Odyssey Elementary School
Serene Lake Elementary School
Voyager Middle School
Headstart Snohomish NoKidHungry has a list of summer meal programs for kids. | Tips from the Department of Health on camping:
* Keep the group small. Camp with people in your household and with fewer than five friends from other households.
* Enjoy the outdoors when healthy. If you feel even a little bit under the weather, wait for it to pass before visiting public parks.
* Be flexible. If you get there and it looks crowded, have a back-up plan so you can go somewhere else or come back another time.
* Practice physical distancing. Keep six feet between you and those outside your immediate household. Launch one boat at a time to give others enough space to launch safely. Leave at least one parking space between your vehicle and the vehicle next to you. A King County Public Health blog on wildfire smoke preparedness. I know we don't want to think about the hazy (and worse) days of prior years, but it's important to get ready. The blog has some suggestions for how to prepare your home to keep smoke out and keep clean air in. Images below from King County on safe cleaning of your home. | Our northern border with Canada remains closed to non-essential travel through July 21. Information here. The Associated Press reports on a study that shows Americans are the least happy we have been in 50 years. Geez. A new survey shows kids are half as likely to contract COVID-19 as those over 20, from Nature Medicine. Most kids catch it from their parents or another adult inside their household. Fear of public transit kept riders away, but data shows it didn't really spread COVID: The Atlantic This is probably the end of the hotel breakfast buffet: Eater.com I like King5's coverage and map of Washington county's phases. You can find it all on the state's website, but this is a good way to distill it all. You can also see that central Washington spot in Yakima, and corners of our state all in Phase 2 and probably on their way to 3. Vaccines are complicated! Science Magazine has an interesting article. Scientists need to find enough people exposed to the virus so a candidate can be put to a real-world test. Populations that have high levels of viral transmission are a moving target. Competition among initiatives can hinder progress, as well (great quote: "everyone wants to collaborate until they want to win."). | The City of Everett is studying their transit service and what the future looks like. They are considering a no growth option, additional sale tax and merging with Community Transit. More information here. The Governor canceled raises for a number of directors, managers, and those making more than $53,000; and issued furloughs in other situations. Press release here. Seattle protests, so far, have not contributed to a rise in COVID cases. | Our City Council will consider six candidates to fill the remaining year and a half of the vacant seat on the Council. The Herald has information about the candidates in an article here. The Council will interview the final 6 on Monday. The details of the process for June 22nd (starting at 5pm) are here, and the agenda can be found here (including ways to watch via Zoom- it will also be streamed on the City's Facebook page). Here are the resumes of all applicants. | The Washington Post has an article with tips on how to see our friends and family again safely. I thought these were good ideas:
* encourage people to bring their own food and drinks and identify one person to serve shareable items.
* communicate ground rules to your guests so everyone feels comfortable with the safety precautions
* make sure you have space to keep everyone six feet apart as much as possible/all the time
* invite by phone instead of just text or email so you can talk through what guests are comfortable with
* no big buffets, and take out is a good compromise to keep food separate; or plate all the food for each person
* pull the towels from your bathroom and replace with disposable ones (or say the inside of the house is off-limits and keep it short! | There is a growing consensus about how exactly you can catch covid. Wall Street Journal article. "It’s not common to contract Covid-19 from a contaminated surface, scientists say. And fleeting encounters with people outdoors are unlikely to spread the coronavirus. Instead, the major culprit is close-up, person-to-person interactions for extended periods. Crowded events, poorly ventilated areas and places where people are talking loudly—or singing, in one famous case—maximize the risk." | In Edmonds, a portion of Sunset Avenue remains pedestrian only for a few more weeks to give residents space to walk safely. The change came at the beginning of the COVID closures when residents had few places to get out and exercise. Main Street in downtown Edmonds will be open between 3rd and 6th Avenues Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21 to walkers, strollers and outdoor shoppers and diners! This is a pilot project that runs Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm and Sunday 10 am to 7 pm. All cross streets will remain
open. This will run concurrently with the Edmonds Farmers Market on 5th
Avenue between Main and Bell on Saturday. The City of Bothell has closed a block of their Main Street to vehicles through September 1! This will allow for physical distancing of shoppers and visitors. | If you needed another reason, the American Red Cross announced it will test all blood donations for COVID-19 antibodies and share the results with donors. You can find openings at their blood drives here. | Campfire of Snohomish County has their own live auction this week through Sunday, check it out here. All proceeds from this event will support Camp Fire of Snohomish County. They provide after school and camping programs to over 8,000 youth annually. The Fremont Solstice Parade is offering a virtual version of their parade on Saturday at 1pm. Check out the costumes, art, and joyous expression (everyone knows about the naked bike riders... and there is a lot of great art, too!). A Tacoma camping-themed bar offers tents for those who want to socially distance themselves (I was convinced to visit in the future when I read that you can roast smores at your table!). Dogs trained to smell COVID in sweat have a near perfect result! The Good News Network brightens the day with this news. | Lighthouse Park, Edgewater Beach and 92nd Street Park reopened on May 5. Bathrooms are open only at Lighthouse Park 7am-7pm. Playgrounds remain closed until either Phase 3 or when we have full staffing and ability to clean daily. 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 68 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo (1 new case), with no deaths amongst those cases, and 61 individuals who are recovered (1 new recovered individual). This data is one week old, and new counts will be up at 2pm today. I'm also letting the Health District know that it is important to have more frequent data, so we know how we're doing. County case counts are available at this link, updated each weekday at 2pm City counts will be updated weekly starting today. | | |
