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As Washington reopens for business and recreation today, the state Department of Health is encouraging people to keep doing their part to stop the spread of COVID-19. Reopening does not mean the pandemic is over or that the risk of COVID-19 is gone.
The Secretary of Health’s mask order remains in place. If you are unvaccinated:
- Continue wearing masks when indoors in public places.
- Keep washing your hands and watching your distance.
- Enable WA Notify for completely private exposure notifications and get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
As businesses begin to resume normal operations, these precautions will be needed more than ever to help protect people who are not vaccinated, including children who are not yet eligible.
Gov. Jay Inslee released this statement:
Washington has come a long way since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country was found in our state January 2020, and that is in no small part due to Washingtonians’ dedication and resilience in protecting themselves and their communities throughout the pandemic.
Because folks listened to science and stayed home to stay healthy, wore masks and got vaccinated, we can now safely fully re-open our state’s economy and cultural centers after 15 long months. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m proud of how Washingtonians came together, persevered and sacrificed to fight this virus, and now we’re finally in a place that is safe enough to end this chapter.
Even though Wednesday marks a new stage in our continued efforts to defeat this pandemic, we still have work to do. Continued success depends on everyone getting vaccinated and encouraging any loved one who has not yet received this lifesaving vaccine to do so, and quickly.
Let’s keep it up, Washington – get vaccinated and stay safe.
See the governor's full press release for more information and guidance on the reopening.
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Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers announced today that with the lifting of pandemic restrictions, county government facilities will reopen to the public July 6.
When visiting county facilities, visitors and staff are required to follow state and Snohomish Health District guidelines, including wearing masks if unvaccinated. Since a significant portion of the public are vaccinated, hospitalizations from COVID-19 remain low, and the state removed most pandemic restrictions, the county will reopen doors to the public that have been closed since March 2020 in response to the pandemic.
“Snohomish County residents have beaten back four waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been vaccinated in significant numbers,” Executive Somers said. “As we reopen Snohomish County government facilities to the public, we want to ensure everyone is as safe as possible. While the pandemic has not ended and COVID-19 remains a public health challenge, we can safely resume in-person government activities that were suspended in March 2020. The resilience and adaptability of Snohomish County’s employees will continue to serve our residents well.”
The public is encouraged to continue using online access to county services. Some tasks that previously required a special trip to a county facility to perform are now easily completed online, and prior to the pandemic, Snohomish County had already moved many services on-line. Before taking a trip to a county facility, please check if you can conduct your business on-line, saving time and increasing convenience.
See the full press release for more information.
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After weeks of progress against COVID-19, the case rate in Snohomish County is flattening. It is now at 69 new cases per 100,00 residents – the same as last week.
“We are going sideways,” Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District, told reporters Tuesday during a virtual press conference on the community’s COVID response.
“We’ll be monitoring this closely in the days and weeks ahead, but this is just yet another signal that while we may feel we are done with COVID, COVID isn’t done with us,” he added.
The case rate results come as most state COVID-related restrictions are scheduled to be relaxed or eliminated altogether starting today, June 30.
Dr. Spitters said it is exciting that Washington has made enough progress against COVID to reopen. That’s a testament to all those who have worked together and made choices to ensure more than 4 million people across Washington have been vaccinated against the virus, the press conference was told.
Jason Biermann, Director of the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management, said the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce has helped administer more than 318,000 doses of vaccines during its six-month-long mass vaccination effort.
The task force is dialing back mass vaccination efforts, directing energies instead into community-based clinics that can be tailored to better reach specific populations, especially those who may have struggled to get access to vaccines.
Biermann urged unvaccinated people to take their shot. He also asked that people who already have been vaccinated to reach out to others and encourage them to do the same.
It is imperative for unvaccinated people to continue to practice safe COVID behaviors, including wearing masks around others, avoiding crowds and going into quarantine if exposed to the virus, Dr. Spitters said.
He urged people to think of the state’s reopening this week as the “ending one chapter, with a promising one about to begin.”
Dr. Spitters added: “There’s still a lot of the story left ahead before we get to the end of this COVID thing.”
Find a video recording of the briefing here: https://youtu.be/pE67bgs0O5E
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It’s a particularly bad time to be playing with fire in Snohomish County, a virtual press conference was told Tuesday.
Record high temperatures this week are expected to be followed by continued hot, dry weather through the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“One little spark is all it takes to start a big fire right now,” Christie Veley, public information officer at Marysville Fire District, told reporters during a briefing that focused on the community response to COVID-19.
Efforts to help people during the recent triple-digit temperatures were complicated by COVID’s presence in the community, reporters were told.
Veley urged people to exercise care in the days ahead.
- An outdoor burn ban is in place countywide. While fires are allowed in grills and approved enclosures, fire officials advise against it for now.
- Likewise, don’t toss lit cigarette butts into the landscape; don’t park on dry grass; and avoid mowing lawns during the hottest hours of the day.
- Fireworks present a significant risk and are illegal to use in much of the county (find a list of locations here).
- To avoid swamping emergency dispatchers, report fireworks complaints on the county’s non-emergency line at 425-407-3999. If there is an injury, a fire or a police emergency, call 911.
- Stay cool but stay safe. That means wearing a life jacket around local lakes and rivers.
Meanwhile, outfit your living area with window stops or locks to reduce the risk of children toppling through open windows.
“Window screens are built to keep bugs out, not children in,” Veley said.
Find a video recording of the briefing here: https://youtu.be/pE67bgs0O5E?t=762
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Area hospitals and EMS are seeing high volumes right now. Please avoid any unnecessary risks that could land you in the ER. But when life happens, here are tips on when to seek care and the best type of care for the issue.
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We came close in reaching the 70% vaccination goal that Gov. Jay Inslee set ahead of the state’s June 30 COVID reopening. Regardless, the reasons behind the push haven't diminished. Vaccination remains the best tool against the virus. It’s still time to take your shot. http://bit.ly/snocovaccine
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The Pfizer vaccine is available Fridays and Saturdays at the Ash Way Park & Ride vaccination site in Lynnwood. No appointment necessary. Last call for first doses there July 10. Ages 12-17 must be accompanied by parent/guardian. More info: http://bit.ly/snocovaccine
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The Snohomish Health District has released its latest analysis of demographics for COVID-19 vaccinations here. The report covers the period between Dec. 15, 2020 through June 26, 2021.
The table below compares the estimated percentage of the population who have at least initiated vaccination, displayed by ZIP code. The graphic compares by race.
Read the full report.
Area |
ZIP |
At least initiated vaccination |
Bothell/Mill Creek |
98012 |
74% |
Edmonds |
98020 |
72% |
Bothell |
98021 |
75% |
Edmonds |
98026 |
69% |
Lynnwood |
98036 |
66% |
Lynnwood |
98037 |
64% |
Mountlake Terrace |
98043 |
64% |
Woodinville |
98072 |
0% |
Lynnwood |
98087 |
61% |
Everett |
98201 |
56% |
Everett |
98203 |
56% |
Everett |
98204 |
50% |
Everett |
98208 |
59% |
Arlington |
98223 |
47% |
Darrington |
98241 |
44% |
Gold Bar |
98251 |
49% |
Granite Falls |
98252 |
47% |
Lake Stevens |
98258 |
78% |
Marysville |
98270 |
51% |
Marysville |
98271 |
53% |
Monroe |
98272 |
48% |
Mukilteo |
98275 |
71% |
Snohomish |
98290 |
54% |
Stanwood |
98292 |
54% |
Sultan |
98294 |
45% |
Snohomish |
98296 |
54% |
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For the nearly 450,000 Snohomish County residents who have had at least one vaccine, it may mean getting back to pre-pandemic activities. Here are tips and recommendations for life after the vaccine. #vaxupsnoco
For more information visit: https://bit.ly/3xZuGG4
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VAERS is not a resource for medical advice. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is an important tool, but it is NOT a resource for medical advice or cause-and-effect data about vaccination. #vaxupsnoco
More info here: www.snohd.org/covidvaccine
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The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine and COVID Collaborative last week launched a new tool that shows data on people’s openness to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine by ZIP code and by county for the entire United States.
“This data visualization is designed for health officials and other policymakers who are working to educate their constituents about the safety and benefits of COVID-19 vaccines,” said John Bridgeland, Co-Founder and CEO of COVID Collaborative. “By making this data easily accessible down to the level of individual ZIP codes, IHME and COVID Collaborative can help ensure that those efforts reach the ‘movable middle’: those people who aren’t yet vaccinated but are open to being convinced.”
The interactive maps show estimates for more than 30,000 ZIP codes in the United States and 3,000 counties. The data show Snohomish County is one of the more vaccine-supportive locations in the U.S., with about 10% of residents surveyed indicating at least some hesitancy. That compares to just under 6% in King and more than 15% in Skagit counties.
Nationally, the median hesitancy is 19% when measured by ZIP code, and more than 6,000 ZIP codes have hesitancy about 30%.
Find the tool here: https://vaccine-hesitancy.healthdata.org/
See the full press release or read a Twitter thread about the tool.
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Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday issued a housing stability ‘bridge’ emergency order, Proclamation 21-09, intended to bridge the operational gap between the eviction moratorium (which will expire at 11:59 PM on June 30) enacted by prior proclamations and the protections and programs subsequently enacted by the Legislature. The bridge, which was initially announced last week, will also reduce uncertainty as the state implements post-COVID long-term housing recovery strategies contained in legislative enactments such as SB 5160.
"This bridge creates reasonable steps and will help ensure that renters have the opportunity to receive support and resources that are available to them and that the Legislature intended to be in place to help both landlords and tenants,” Inslee said.
Recent legislative actions include appropriating an additional $650 million for landlord and tenant rental assistance and also establishing certain programs, like the eviction resolution pilot program, which were intended to be in place after the eviction moratorium ends. However, the funding has not yet been disbursed and these programs are not yet operational statewide.
In response to this unintended gap, this order requires, among other things, that:
- Landlords and tenants avail themselves of rental assistance and eviction resolution pilot programs pursuant to SB 5160 to resolve any COVID-related past due rent (February 29, 2020 through July 31, 2021);
- Tenants take steps to pay rent or avail themselves of rental assistance in order to pay future rent (beginning August 1, 2021 throughout the effective dates of this order);
- For any tenant who is or becomes in arrears, landlords offer a reasonable repayment plan to tenants per SB 5160; and
- Tenants respond to notice of funding and other available programs within the timeframes established by SB 5160.
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Washington is getting ready for reopening! What will that mean for workers?
As more and more Washingtonians get the COVID-19 vaccine, we’re getting closer to returning to normal life. Soon, businesses will be able to resume operating at their full capacities again. This is welcome news for Washington businesses, workers, and customers.
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks indoors or outdoors. As a result, many businesses dropped their mask requirements for customers. But what about their workers?
To help workers better understand these changes, we connected with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). L&I is the state agency that provides guidance for employers. They protect workers by making sure that employers keep their workplaces safe and healthy.
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¡Washington se prepara para la reapertura! ¿Qué significará eso para los trabajadores?
A medida que más de nosotros en Washington recibimos la vacuna contra el COVID-19, nos acercamos más al regreso de la vida normal. Pronto, los empleadores podrán reestablecer sus operaciones a su plena capacidad nuevamente. Esta es una buena noticia para los empleadores, los trabajadores y los clientes de Washington.
Recientemente, los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades dijeron que las personas completamente vacunadas no necesitan usar mascarillas en interiores o exteriores. Como resultado de esta información, muchos empleadores eliminaron el requisito de usar mascarilla para los clientes. Pero, ¿qué pasa con los trabajadores?
Para ayudar a los trabajadores a entender mejor estos cambios, nos conectamos con el Departamento de Labor e Industrias (L&I).
PL&I es la agencia estatal que brinda orientación a los empleadores. Protegen a los trabajadores asegurándose de que los empleadores mantengan sus lugares de trabajo seguros y saludables.
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High temperatures are hard on pets, too. Keep them cool and safe by following these easy tips. For more info, visit www.bit.ly/hotpetsafety.
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Cumulative from January 2020 through June 21, 2021.
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ESSENTIAL LINKS AND PHONE NUMBERS FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
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