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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.
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Today, We Are In Phase 2!

The state website shows the guidance for businesses, and the full Safe Start report has details on what phase 2 means.

....but when is phase 3?! It looks like it may be a few weeks before the Health District and County decide to apply for phase 3, based on the increasing cases this week and last. Here is their weekly snapshot showing our status on the state metrics. You'll see the red downward trends.
Wear your mask, pack hand sanitizer- let's all do our part to get there.

Way more info from the Health District can be found here.

King County is now in Phase 2, with additional information here. Island County is in Phase 3.

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.

phase 1 open
phase 2 open

Thermometers for Businesses

FEMA has partnered with Economic Alliance Snohomish County in a distribution effort of infrared thermometers to small businesses. These thermometers are an essential tool needed for returning to work. If your business fits the following eligibility requirements listed below please complete the application to get on the Distribution List.

Eligibility requirements:
• Have not received a thermometer previously from FEMA
• Have a valid Universal Basic Income (UBI) Number – 1 per owner
• Business must have less than 50 employees
• High degree of person-to-person interaction
• Business must be in one of the following categories:
• Construction (working on jobsite)
• Retail
• Health Care – Mental Health Services
• Manufacturing
• Restaurants
• Agriculture
• Grocers / Convenient Stores

After you have applied online, Economic Alliance will email the logistics for pick-up by July 7th. Businesses will need to be on the distribution list to receive a thermometer, and it will be first come, first serve. Apply here.

COVID Data Snapshot

I missed this last Friday, but the Health District has a great new one page data snapshot that aligns with the state metrics. It's a good way to see if we are on track to move to Phase 3 (I had a guess here yesterday, but after reading about the uptick, I'm reserving for another week... I don't think the County will apply for phase 3 until another week has passed, at least).

It looks like two problematic areas are the 2 new outbreaks in a high risk setting (defined as workplace, congregate living, or institutional setting)

The snapshot is updated each Friday, I'll include it either on Friday or Monday, depending on when it gets released.

#MaskUpWA

masks

There are growing resources and guidance on mask wearing in our state. www.doh.wa.gov/masks is the State Dept of Health page. They also have a "myths and facts" post here.
Our County Public Health has a video that is on their Facebook and Twitter page that would be helpful for questions.
Resident blogger and lawyer Todd Cook also has a great new post walking through some details.

Here are SOME of the many FAQs that are out there...

Where does the statewide requirement apply?
In indoor public settings, including:
 Inside any building, including any business, that is open to the public;
 In healthcare settings (hospitals, doctors' offices, pharmacies); and
 While in line waiting for or riding on public transportation or while in a taxi or ride-sharing vehicle.
In outdoor public settings, including the following, if six feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained with individuals who do not share a household:
 Public parks, trails, streets, and recreation areas;
What about at work?
In the workplace, employees are required to wear masks under the Labor and Industries guidance.

In schools, yes. In colleges, yes in common areas (not in your dorm room). Child care- yes, for kids over 5. Littler kids can wear them, but it's not required (you don't have to fight your two year old, just your thirteen year old...yikes! :).

Why is this happening, and will it really help? Our world has learned a lot more about masks and COVID-19. This blog post walks through the effectiveness. The emerging science on face coverings indicates that they are effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19 if we wear them consistently. And “consistently” means that all of us — even if we feel healthy — need to wear a cloth face covering in public places.

However, the message below is important to keep in mind. Be kind to one another.

face covering what to do

Free Fabric for Mask Makers

From the Lieutenant Governor's Office: If you or your sewing team commits to making 100 masks for the #WAmaskChallenge, they will send you fabric free of charge! Sign up here.

Primary Elections

While it may be hard to imagine, we are in fact just about four months away from the presidential election and primary election ballots will get mailed in just a few weeks.
Need to register to vote? You can register to vote online here or by mail until 8 days before an election or in-person through Election day (July 27th is the deadline to register before the primary). Registrations done by mail need to be received, not postmarked, by the 8 day deadline.

Local News

The newly founded Snohomish and Island County Labor Council Hardship Fund is there to help union members and their families through these difficult times. Assistance is based on funding available and is limited to $500 per calendar year. The Snohomish & Island County Hardship Fund is a 501(3)(c ) nonprofit organization. Types of help include food, gas, phone, utilities, rent, emergency dental, etc.

County unemployment rates and employment data for May 2020 are now available online from the state Employment Security Department. Snohomish County had 16.2% reported unemployment in May. The historical estimates report shows that compares to 19.2% in April, 5.9% in March and 2.8% in February, before the COVID-19 pandemic really took hold.

Mayunemp

In the News

Some travelers to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are told to self-isolate and quarantine for 14 days- but Washington is not on the list. (Seattle Times)

The WHO recommends breastfeeding to new mothers, says no coronavirus has been found in mothers' milk. (Reuters article)

The Atlantic: "In some cases, COVID-19 symptoms can last for several months in patients who have dubbed themselves “long-haulers.” While these patients do not need to be hospitalized and so their cases are considered mild, “their lives have nonetheless been flattened by relentless and rolling waves of symptoms that make it hard to concentrate, exercise, or perform simple physical tasks.” Long-haulers not only contend with a difficult disease, they often must deal with disbelief from their doctors or friends and family.

Financial Times: A study in the BMJ about Sweden’s unusual approach to COVID-19, which has been to stay open but encourage social distancing and other mitigating practices with the hopes of creating herd immunity, shows that the strategy has resulted in the highest number of deaths per capita in Europe from May 25 to June 2 while remaining far from achieving herd immunity.

A study in Health Affairs examined the natural experiment of states’ mask mandates on community spread of COVID-19. The study estimates that between 230,000 and 450,000 potential COVID-19 cases were averted by May 22 from the imposition of state mandates.

New York Times: Coronavirus Cases Rise Sharply in Prisons Even as They Plateau Nationwide (a reminder about the dangers of congregate living and COVID-19).

Italian sewage suggests the coronavirus was present in December 2019 (Reuters).

Minnesota protests and COVID testing reveal very little spread so far. (Wired.com)

State Guidance

All reopening guidelines can be found here.

Here is the Safe Start Plan for K-12 Schools, and a new guidance document for colleges and universities.

Locally, Everett's Getting to Safe Guide is a great resource. It's now available in Spanish and Russian, as well.

Inspiration and Diversions

The Census has a Students in Statistics program, and has developed some distance learning tools. There are videos and fun facts (like the one below), and parent guides, as well!

4thJulyCensus

In its first concert since mid-March, on Monday, June 22, The Gran Teatre del Liceu filled its 2,292 seats with plants for a performance by the UceLi Quartet. The string quartet serenaded its leafy audience with Giacomo Puccini's "Crisantemi." The concert was described in a recent story on NPR.

The plants came from local nurseries and will be donated along with a certificate to health care professionals, specifically at the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona. The Liceu opera issued a statement which read, in part, "The Liceu welcomes and leads a highly symbolic act that defends the value of art, music and nature as a letter of introduction to our return to activity

barcelona

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 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.

Case Count

Current case count is 71 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo (one new case), with no deaths amongst those cases, and 67 individuals who are recovered (one new recovery).

County case counts are available at this link, updated each weekday at 2pm City counts will be updated weekly starting today.

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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