 | Here is your Mayor's 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 here to subscribe | Two weeks of increasing COVID case rates are a reminder that people in Snohomish County need to stick with key prevention strategies to reduce the spread of illness, such as wearing face coverings and limiting social gatherings as much as possible. | School Meals Many students across Washington rely on school meals to meet their nutritional needs. As the economic impacts of COVID-19 continue, more families are taking advantage of free meals provided by school districts.
School districts across the state are able to provide free meals to all children aged 0–18, or older if enrolled in the K–12 school system, through the end of December 2020, thanks to waivers granted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, once the funds run out at the end of the calendar year, many students will still need access to free or reduced-price meals from their school.
Families are strongly encouraged to complete a School Meal Application now, which determines a student’s eligibility for free and reduced-price meals. Contact your school to find out more. Retraining Funds Has your employment been impacted by COVID? Attend a virtual information session to see if you qualify for retraining funds
Worker Retraining is a state-funded program that provides job-related training and employment services to dislocated and unemployed workers to help them gain additional training in their existing field or get started on a new career path.
Attend a virtual information session on Tuesday, October 13 at 10 a.m. to learn if you are eligible for tuition and fees to retrain for a new career. Register here. | We have reopened the application window for City of Mukilteo small business and nonprofit grants. You can find information on this page: https://mukilteowa.gov/mukilteo-cares-for-businesses-program/ If you applied before, you do not need to apply again. But- you can fill out a new application if your circumstances have changed or if you just want to make your case differently in some way. | Business Survey The Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce is conducting a survey of Mukilteo businesses- if you are a local business owner, please take a moment to complete a quick survey that helps us gauge the impact of COVID on our business community. Your response is the voice of small business. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete and is anonymous. Unemployment claims dip 12% in Snohomish County Unemployment claims in Snohomish County declined 12% during the most-recent week-long reporting period, dropping from 1,881 to 1,662.
State regulators extend protections for energy customers affected by COVID-19 State regulators extend protections for energy customers affected by COVID-19 State regulators approved protections for electric and natural gas utility customers who are struggling to pay their bills due to financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. In Snohomish County, utility companies Puget Sound Energy and Cascade Natural Gas may not disconnect customers for nonpayment until April 30, 2021 by order of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Also, utilities must continue to waive deposits for new customers and all late fees through Oct. 27, 2021. | Give Blood! Another opportunity to donate blood at Rosehill Community Center. Sign up here through Bloodworks NW, if you are able. This is a great setting. Bloodworks is also testing for COVID antibodies on each donation through the end of October. They notify you about two weeks later about the results. | Weather Watch Watch for windy weather this weekend, with the potential for power outages. From the National Weather Service:
FRIDAY
Increasing rain chances, especially areas north of the Olympics and Puget Sound.
Becoming breezy along the Coast and over the waters Friday evening.
FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY
Widespread moderate to locally heavy rain Friday night-Saturday afternoon.
Increasing winds Friday night through Saturday afternoon, especially along the Coast and north of Everett | A bunch of new updates from the Governor. The first one is likely to allow for a modified Turkey Trot/Thanksgiving Day 5k/10k Race in Mukilteo! More to come as staff work on permitting this event.
Outdoor recreation (running/bicycling/etc.)
These guidelines will provide protocols for races, bicycle tours and rides, runs, cross country skiing races, biathlons, canoe and kayak races, marathons, cross country running competitions, triathlons, and multi-sport competitions with more than 12 participants.
Libraries can reopen at 25% capacity in Phase 2 (guidelines link).
Youth/Adult Sports
These guidelines will align school related and non-school related sports guidance. Tournaments and crowds are prohibited in counties that aren’t in the low-risk category, but these guidelines will allow more school and non-school sports, both indoor and outdoor, according to a combination of local metrics. These metrics are aligned with state metrics for school opening recommendations. It also provides specific protocols for transportation, group size and facial coverings.
Movie Theaters
These guidelines will allow for occupancy in Phase 2 at 25% and 50% in Phase 3. Theater attendees will be required to maintain a 6 feet social distance between households and to wear facial coverings at all times when not eating and drinking.
Restaurants
These guidelines will move alcohol cutoff from 10 PM to 11 PM, as well as eliminates the indoor household member restriction for indoor dining. Additionally, the guidelines will allow for the increase of table size to six in Phase 2.
Real Estate
These guidelines will allow for open houses, but limit attendance by the counties' gathering size limit in accordance to their Phase.
Water Recreation Facilities
This guidance updates the current guidance for water recreational activities and facilities in Modified Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 counties. | COVID-19 Outbreak in Greek System at UW As of October 6, Public Health – Seattle & King County has confirmed more than 160 cases among 12 fraternity and sorority organizations associated with the off-campus Greek community at the Seattle campus of the University of Washington (UW). The UW originally notified Public Health of two cases associated with one Greek house on Sept. 11. The UW reported that 1,256 fraternity and sorority members were tested upon moving into their houses the week of Sept. 21, with four positive cases identified. On Friday, Sept 26, Public Health became aware of 17 total cases among the Greek system at UW. One week later, on Friday, Oct. 2, that number had increased to 130 cases. Today, per UW reporting, that number has grown to 174 cases among 13 chapters. | Regeneron used an investor and media webcast to announce preliminary results from their placebo-controlled study of their monoclonal antibody cocktail REGN-COV2 in patients with asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19. While full studies are pending, monoclonal antibodies will likely be most useful very early in SARS-CoV-2 infection and may not have much utility once patients have produced their own antibody responses. This announcement came just before the use of the drug in the President's case. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance for industry regarding the use of emergency use authorizations (EUA) for vaccines to prevent COVID-19. The new guidance is expected to slow the process of EUA approval but is also likely to improve public confidence in the new vaccines. AP: Push to Bring Coronavirus Vaccines to the Poor Faces Trouble An article in JAMA reviewed the long-term health outcomes of COVID-19, dividing the post-infectious syndromes into “post-acute COVID-19” for symptoms beyond three weeks from the on-set of symptoms, and “chronic COVID-19” for symptoms beyond 12 weeks. The most common manifestations are cardiac, pulmonary, and neurologic. The CDC described the challenges facing colleges and universities as they bring together students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The article does not name the institution in the case being presented, but the list of contributing authors and the timing indicates that it is the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. Despite a variety of policies and protocols put in place to limit spread once students began to gather, there were 670 known cases of COVID-19 tied to the campus between Aug. 3 and Aug. 25. There were 18 clusters of five or more epidemiologically linked cases, and 96% of cases were in individuals younger than 22 years old (i.e., undergraduate students). On Aug. 19, the school switched to 100% online classes. Students in on-campus housing were sent home and told to quarantine for 14 days. They had tried reducing the density of housing, requiring masks, banning large indoor groups, using takeout meals instead of cafeterias, and staggering the arrival of students on campus. Unfortunately, these precautions did not work. Science: FDA’s Own Documents Reveal Agency’s Lax, Slow, and Secretive Oversight of Clinical Research The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions released a report from democratic staff that identifies steps Congress can take to address COVID-19-related inequities, including ensuring ac-cess to high-quality affordable health care, making new financial investments in communities of color, and working to reduce bias and discrimination within the health care system (our Senator Patty Murray is the ranking democratic member on this committee). STAT: COVID-19 Long-Haulers and the Experience of ‘Hidden’ Disabilities NPR: Getting Health Care Was Already Tough In Rural Areas. The Pandemic Has Made It Worse Reuters: COVID-19 Cases Surge in U.S. Midwest and Northeast Science: One Number Could Help Reveal How Infectious a COVID-19 Patient Is. Should Test Results Include It? Online privacy loss: another COVID-19 aftershock – Stat News Six months in, the shape(s) of the economic crisis – The New York Times (with cool demographic data) | The FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health posted an infographic providing an overview of the FDA's response to the pandemic from Jan. 1 to Sept. 18. | The Domestic Violence Services 11th Annual Handbag Auction continues through Friday! Check out the awesome selections and do some online shopping for a good cause. | Did you know that the ancient Greeks voted with pebbles? One of the earliest depictions of the act of voting appears on a fifth century Greek wine cup. Voters (adult male citizens) deposited a pebble into the urn of their choice. According to the Getty Museum, “In ancient Greece a pebble was called a psephos, which gives us the dubious term psephology, the scientific study of elections. Another modern word, ballot, preserves this ancient history of bean-counting: it comes from medieval French ballotte, a small ball.” If you're an HGTV watcher, you can register by email for the Master Builder's Association Remodeled Homes Tour. As they pitch it, this tour—featuring 18 amazing homes spanning King and Snohomish counties—is not just another Zoom meeting. Take in the finest craftsmanship and the latest remodeling trends throughout the day on October 24 as you explore stunning homes without leaving your own. Each virtual home tour is fully interactive, featuring floor plans, highlights, and direct video chat with the builder. It's all free, and you can register at this link. | Lighthouse Park, Edgewater Beach and 92nd Street Park reopened on May 5. Bathrooms are open only at Lighthouse Park 7am-7pm. Playgrounds are now open, with warnings about cleaning schedules and advise to use at your own risk posted. Trails and sidewalks continue to be open for your physical activity! Please respect physical distance of six feet, and put your face covering on as you pass others. 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 148 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo (4 new cases), and 126 individuals who are recovered (10 new recoveries). County and city case counts are available at this link, updated each weekday at 2pm. | | |
