Here is your Mayor's update, some COVID-19 information, some other useful information! Please forward as widely as you would like.
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This weekend looks to be pretty hot, especially Sunday. The National Weather Service says we'll have rapid warm-up with temperatures likely to reach the 90s for most inland areas away from the water. The hottest locations will be in the Cascade valleys and foothills as well as lowland areas south of Olympia where temperatures could reach the upper 90's. There could be critical fire conditions in those areas, as well.

Sunday's outlook is below, along with some tips on staying cool.

Woodland Park Zoo and the Seattle Aquarium reopened to the public the week of June 28. For the last four weeks, both have safely welcomed guests, with operational adjustments to promote physical distancing and improve the guest experience. At both facilities, visitor counts are tightly managed by timed ticketing. Both organizations were approved for a reduced attendance capacity of 25% for both indoor and outdoor spaces. To date neither organization has come near that attendance threshold and both have seen high attendance marks of around two-thirds of that allowed capacity. For both organizations, mornings are the most in-demand time to visit and Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days.

Most schools in Snohomish County have finalized their decision to do all remote learning for the fall.

The Port of Everett released their summer newsletter, you can check it out here.

• As a household, limit your gatherings to only five people or fewer from outside your home each week, whether they are friends or family. The smaller the gathering, the safer it is. Only participate in one or two social gatherings a week.
• Your household can meet with a new group of five the following week or meet again with the same five. Pick your five in a way that works for you each week.
• You can meet indoors or outdoors, but outdoors is safer.
• Wear a mask if you can’t maintain 6 feet of distance, even if you’re outdoors. If you meet indoors, wear a mask at all times and open doors and windows to increase air flow if it is safe to do so.
• The key is to keep your household’s social circle small and only occasionally gather with your circle. Your household includes everyone you live with, whether that’s just you, your family of five, or you and several roommates.

Forbeshas a guide to working from home that covers some important basics. For instance, you cannot deduct home office expenses if you are an employee.
* If you’re an employee and your employer doesn’t reimburse costs, your out-of-pocket expenses - from the cost of a new laptop or printer to copy paper to that fancy new ergonomic chair - are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.
* You may have tax requirements where you typically work as well as where you live. You may need to keep track of your day by day working locations for tax reasons.
* If you are self-employed, to claim a federal income tax deduction for a home office, you must use a specific area of your home exclusively for your trade or business. It must be space that is used solely for business and not, say, an office or desk or computer that is also used by your children for their virtual lessons or to play Fortnite.

How to care for your mask(wash it every day, for one! There is also a tip on handwashing, if your laundry isn't running daily).

American Association of Medical Colleges consensus guidanceon face masks

CDC Mask Guidance

Washington Department of Health Mask Guidance

Smoking and vaping has been related to COVID impacts in younger people. Seattle Times covers the higher risk, and Reuters highlights the link to vaping and risk of COVID impacts.

Surrounded by international controversy,Russia announced approval of their COVID-19 vaccine, “Sputnik V.” The vaccine appears to have completed what would have been a Phase 2 study by U.S. standards. It has not yet been tested for efficacy (Phase 3 trial), nor for uncommon adverse events. The uncertainty as to whether the vaccine will actually protect those vaccinated should not be a question when the vaccine moves into larger populations. In the United States, this would certainly damage trust in the vaccine approval process and could result in making many more people hesitant to take the vaccine. Trust will be critical moving forward in the United States, and it should not be wasted.

The Gates Foundation invested in development of a $3 vaccine for low and middle income countries: (The Hill).

The Children’s Hospital Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics gathered data from state sources to determine that there had been 338,982 cases of COVID-19 in children (out of a total of 3,835,573 cases) as of July 30, 2020. The overall rate was 447 cases per 100,000 children in the United States. Children were 0% to 0.8% of total COVID-19 deaths, depending on the state, and 20 states had no child fatalities. 0% to 0.3% of child cases result in death, with some variation by state.

A theory about why so many COVID-19 infected patients are asymptomatic proposed that these people already have partial immunity from previous SARS-CoV-2-related infections.

A study in the Lancet Public Health30164-X/fulltext) used data from a smartphone app to evaluate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection to health care workers. Health care workers were 3.4 times more likely to get infected than community members. Risk factors for infection among health care workers included inadequate personal protective equipment and being Black, Asian, or an ethnic minority.

America's obesity epidemic threatens the efficacy of any COVID-19 vaccine: Kaiser Health News.

Science: The Long Haul (Some COVID-19 Survivors Are Still Sick Months Later. Doctors Want to Learn Why and What They Can Do.)

NIH Director’s Blog: Addressing the Twin Challenges of Substance Use Disorders and COVID-19.

Finally, an immunology deep-deep-dive from the Atlantic.

New Zealand appeared to have eradicated COVID from their shores, but recently experienced 4 cases. They are exploring whether the cases are linked to freight shipped into the country. (Reuters.

Three of ten Americans laid off in coronavirus crisis worried about food, shelter: Reuters/Ipsos poll

"Ghost" Cruise Ships anchor in the English Channel, perhaps because of lack of space in ports or to avoid port fees. There is a tourism element, as small boats take passengers on day trips to check them out. Some cool photos (from shore) here from the BBC.

Worldwide virus cases top 20 million, doubling in six weeks: AP.

As the school year starts in many districts across the country, a new national poll of teachers from NPR/Ipsos finds overwhelming trepidation about returning to the physical classroom. Eighty-two percent of K-12 teachers say they are concerned about returning to in-person teaching this fall, and two-thirds prefer to teach primarily remotely. On the latter point, teachers are aligned with parents and the general public, according to a similar poll linked in the article.

Guardian: “Death by Structural Poverty”: The South Is Struggling Against COVID-19

Mother Jones: A “Perfect Storm” of Factors Has Made the Coronavirus Especially Severe in the Latinx Community.

All guidance can be found 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 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 104 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo (3 new cases), and 84 individuals who are recovered (that's 9 new, so a big batch of data must have been updated).

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