COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state)
He reported to an urgent care clinic with symptoms of pneumonia on January 19 and was transported to Everett's Providence Regional Medical Center the following day.
[53] On February 19, 2020, a resident of a Life Care Centers of America nursing home in Kirkland, an Eastside King County suburb of Seattle, was transferred to a local hospital and later tested positive for COVID-19.
[58][59] Also on February 28, a woman in her 50s who had recently returned from South Korea and who was an employee of the United States Postal Service at its Network Distribution Center facility in Federal Way, King County, tested positive.
[127][128] The Washington Distillers Guild announced it was converting from producing drinkable liquor to hand sanitizer,[129] joining many other distilleries in the United States doing so after regulations were waived by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
[2][3] Radio station KUOW announced that starting March 25, it would no longer broadcast President Trump's briefings on the coronavirus "due to a pattern of false or misleading information provided that cannot be fact checked in real time".
[142] An outbreak at the Monroe Correctional Complex, the state's second largest prison, began in late March and grew to eleven confirmed cases As of April 8, 2020[update]—five staff and six inmates in the same minimum security unit.
[149] Effective May 18, King County started requiring face coverings, to help reduce virus spread, at indoor public spaces, and outdoor where minimum distancing not possible.
[150] On May 22, two patients under the age of 20 were confirmed as having paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a rare and potentially fatal condition related to COVID-19.
[153] Effective June 26, Washington state health department requires masks in all public indoor spaces, and outdoors when closer than 6 feet apart, with certain exceptions for age, ability, or when access to mouth needed.
[160][161] On February 29, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency after the first US death attributable to COVID-19 occurred in a man in his 50s with an underlying chronic health condition who had been admitted to EvergreenHealth Medical Center after complaining of severe breathing problems.
At a news briefing with Inslee, Vice President Pence said that Air Force Two delivered 100,000 air-filtering N95 respirators, 100,000 surgical masks and 2,500 face shields to Washington.
[184][185] Metro and Sound Transit also announced the temporary suspension of fare enforcement on buses and trains to reduce person-to-person contact.
[186] On March 15, Governor Inslee announced the closing of all sit-down restaurants statewide, noting that "very strong measures are necessary to slow the spread of the disease".
Mayor Durkan used her emergency powers to prohibit evictions on the basis of rent delinquency for 30 days or due to expiring leases.
[199] On March 22, President Donald Trump said the federal government would pay the costs of activation of the Washington National Guard while under control of the state governor.
[154] Several national media outlets reported that fewer Seattle residents were observed outside in public places in early March.
[222] On March 12, the city of Seattle announced that the public library system, community centers, and other recreation facilities would be closed until at least April 13.
The lawsuit contended that invocation of emergency powers to prevent "public disorder" was unnecessary because there was no clear danger of lack of access to care due to hospital overuse or other shortages, that church closure orders were not commensurate with those of commercial facilities, and specifically noted that there had been zero serious cases in Washington persons under 20 years old; and that the 1,000 COVID-19 related deaths in Washington was numerically comparable to flu and pneumonia deaths in other years, for example 1,037 in 2017.
[233] A separate suit was brought in state courts c. May 22 by public officials and citizens in Chelan and Douglas Counties making some of the same claims.
[248] Many scheduled public events went on as planned, including a Major League Soccer fixture between the Seattle Sounders FC and Columbus Crew SC at CenturyLink Field on March 7.
[250][251] ESPN noted the effect the governor's ban on gatherings in Puget Sound area would have on sports, especially if it should be expanded to Eastern Washington; the first round of the 2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was scheduled to be held in Spokane in March.
[258] The Stranger, an alt-weekly newspaper in Seattle, announced a temporary layoff of 18 employees to offset ad revenue losses due to the closure of restaurants and entertainment venues.
[259] On March 24, a public radio station in the state, KUOW-FM, announced it would no longer broadcast the White House press briefings on the coronavirus "due to a pattern of false or misleading information provided that cannot be fact checked in real time."
The industry brings in nearly one billion dollars annually to the Puget Sound area, with the Alaska cruise season considered to start April 1.
[272][273] Several public transit agencies in Western Washington announced cuts to service and free fares to avoid contact between passengers and drivers.
King County Metro, the largest operator serving Seattle, will reduce service and suspend the South Lake Union Streetcar.
[274] Large agencies in the Puget Sound region are also anticipating a decline in revenue from sales taxes, which would cause delays or changes to major projects.
[275] Sound Transit announced in early April that it would suspend construction on most of its light rail expansion projects due to high absenteeism among workers and difficulty meeting social distancing guidelines at worksites.
Reacting to the new restriction, WSHA President Anthony Anton stated "This is devastating news, this leads to 100,000 workers out of work right before the holidays.
"[284] Restaurant owners have been pushing back on the claims made by Jay Inslee that data supports the decision to close indoor dining.
