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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.

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Mukiltean of the Day

The Mukilteans of June 2, 2020, are the kids and families of the Beverly Elementary School PTA who are organizing a candlelight vigil tomorrow at 8pm, in honor of George Floyd and all the black lives lost.

Details about their peaceful candlelight vigil can be found on the event page on facebook. It's scheduled for June 3, 8-9pm, with a moment of silence from 8:15-8:30pm, along 52nd Ave W between 148th and 164th. This is outside our city limits, but close by. They note that they have had a big response and are encouraging the community to participate from home and post photos on the event page. Those that do attend are asked to wear face coverings, bring family-friendly signs and candles with lighters, lanterns or flashlights for themselves.

As the Beverly Elementary School kids and families work to educate and learn more about these issues, let's all do the same in their honor.

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

Council Vacancy Appointment

Last night, the City Council came to consensus on the process for appointment to our vacant seat. You can still apply until tomorrow at 4:30pm (here).

Applicants will have 5 minutes each to share a statement during the June 15 council meeting. Applicants will be contacted with details. Then, the Council will choose a shorter list of candidates (probably 5-7 is my guess) for interviews on June 22nd. Those interviews will be longer, closer to 20 minutes, with a set of questions that will be decided upon at the June 8th meeting. After the interviews on June 22, the Council will deliberate and choose a candidate who will take office at the next scheduled meeting (scheduled for June 29th).

All meetings are now being streamed on the City's Facebook page, as well as streamed and archived on the City website, so you'll have some good opportunities to view these candidates and the process.

PUD Payment/Meter Reading

Snohomish County PUD continues to offer its Community Support Plan for any customer experiencing a financial hardship related to the pandemic. Since late March, nearly 9,000 customers have sought assistance from the PUD through a combination of bill credits, expanded bill discount qualifications, and flexible payment plans.

They are resuming meter reading this month, which means you may see changes as they transition from estimated bills to actual use. Be aware that: small businesses might see a credit due to reduced hours, but residences might see usage that is higher than normal (all that tv watching and heat or a/c usage) and could be a higher bill.

Any customer who needs assistance paying a PUD bill may contact Customer Service at (425) 783-1000. The PUD is proud to partner with customers on expanded payment options and flexible solutions.

In the News

As restaurants reopen, the best advice is to eat outdoors, unless you have some pretty extensive information about their airflow systems. (Washington Post)

The New Yorker on "how Iceland beat the coronavirus"(hint: contact tracing is a big part and genetic data).

The Governor announced widespread testing in long-term care facilities with thousands of tests to be completed over the next few weeks, and supplies for that began shipping yesterday. Supplies include test kits, personal protective equipment and return shipment materials, to be sent in waves every three days to ensure labs have the capacity to process all of the samples. Residents and staff of nursing homes will be tested by June 12, and residents and staff in assisted living facilities with a memory care unit will be tested by June 26.

How COVID Arrived Here

I am perusing a new health clinician-facing email list, and it had some interesting information yesterday looking back at how COVID cases arrived in the U.S. According to their assessment of numerous studies and articles, "there seems to be little doubt that the first case in Everett was contained and did not lead to further cases. Analysis of the influenza surveillance samples that were gathered in the Seattle area (and initially not used for COVID-19 purposes) suggest the virus arrived again a few weeks later and that the arrival was not initially detected."
There were other introductions to the Bay Area in California. The cases in New York arrived from Europe through multiple introductions beginning in late February.

Phase 2 Request is In

The County's application from Monday can be found here.

Such a transition would permit resumption of the following in Snohomish County, provided that individuals and enterprises involved in such activity adhere to Washington State guidelines for COVID-19 prevention and control applicable to their setting:
 Participation in outdoor recreation involving 1-4 people who are not household members (e.g.,
camping, beaches, etc.)
 Gathering with 1-5 people per week who are not household members
 Limited non-essential travel within proximity of an individual’s home
 Manufacturing enterprises not already approved for activity
 New construction
 In-home/domestic services (e.g., nannies, housecleaning, etc.)
 Retail (in-store purchases allowed with restrictions)
 Real estate
 Professional services and office-based businesses (telework remains strongly encouraged)
 Hair salons, stylists, barbers, and nail salons
 Restaurants (seating at <50% maximum capacity and no table size >5 customers)

Camping Reopening

State commissions announced that camping in the 22 counties in Phase 2 will begin to reopen this month. You should check their websites for up to date information on specific campgrounds.

State Parks website
WDFW’s website
Department of Natural Resources website

All visitors, including day use, should also follow the guidelines to #RecreateResponsibly (read more here) when visiting any public lands this summer.

State Guidance

All reopening guidelines can be found here. This is useful for businesses planning reopening, and for all of us to be educated about expectations in visiting businesses.

Fun Diversions and Inspiration

So.... I just didn't get anything today. My day was busy, but all the days are. I think my focus was on the national response and pain. I hate to leave you on this note, but maybe it's an appropriate one for today. Maybe my diversion for the night is to suggest some quiet contemplation and mindfulness. If you feel the need to learn and read, do that, if you feel overwhelmed or scared, take a break from media- it's okay.

City Information

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.

Case Count

Current case count is 61 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo (2 new cases), with no deaths amongst those cases, and 57 individuals who are recovered (2 new recovered individuals).

County case counts are available at this link, updated each weekday at 2pm.

General Resource Links

City of Mukilteo COVID-19 page

Snohomish Health District
Washington State Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
COVID-19 Testing Guidelines from Public Health – Seattle & King County
Find information in other languages
Washington State COVID-19 Response

What to do if you are sick: CDC Resources

Watch out for COVID related scams. If you are unsure about whether something is real or a scam, the Justice Department created a central fraud hotline (1-866-720-5721 or disaster@leo.gov). You can also call the non-emergency line at 425-407-3999.

 
   
 
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