Coronavirus updates: State ferries extend winter sailing schedules
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Sunday, April 12.
Updated at 6:05 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 187 new COVID-19 cases and 17 additional deaths on Sunday, bringing the statewide totals to 10,411 cases and 508 deaths.
King County continues to be the hardest hit with 4,222 cases and 292 deaths while Snohomish County has 1,844 cases and 70 deaths.
Pierce County reported 931 cases and 20 deaths on its website. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said on its website the case count likely is low because the Washington Disease Reporting System experienced slow Electronic Laboratory Reporting System uploads and then went offline for emergency maintenance. The numbers could increase again on Monday.
All of Washington’s 39 counties except Garfield County have reported at least one case and 17 counties have reported at least one virus related death.
The DOH is now also able to report COVID-19 data on hospitalization and race and ethnicity, according to a release.
“DOH is committed to promoting equity and social justice and is pleased to now have these data available for our collective understanding of the impacts to Washingtonians,” Secretary of Health John Wiesman said in the release.
“Based on the available data at this time, it does not appear we have the same stark inequities in deaths experienced in other parts of the country. However, we are still working to get race and ethnicity data for a third of the deaths, so we can’t draw firm conclusions quite yet.”
Pierce County reports 10 new cases
Updated at 2:35 p.m.
Pierce County reported 10 new cases on Sunday and reassigned a previous case to another county, bringing its total to 931.
The county also reported its 20th death, a man in his 90s with underlying heath conditions who lived in the Edgewood/Fife/Milton region.
On its website, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said the case county likely is low because the Washington Disease Reporting System experienced slow Electronic Laboratory Reporting System uploads and then went offline for emergency maintenance. The numbers could increase again tomorrow.
Daily case totals can change as the county receives new information about cases or finds duplicate data. The health department has released a statement on delays in data posting.
Sunday’s geographical totals are listed below with Saturday’s numbers in parenthesis:
▪ Bonney Lake: 25 (no change)
▪ Central Pierce County: 54 (no change)
▪ East Pierce County: 27 (no change)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 52 (no change)
▪ Frederickson: 30 (no change)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 44 (no change)
▪ Graham: 35 (no change)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 6 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 22 (21)
▪ Lakewood: 73 (no change)
▪ Parkland: 41 (no change)
▪ Puyallup: 48 (45)
▪ South Hill: 57 (56)
▪ South Pierce County: 17 (no change)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 8 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 30 (no change)
▪ Tacoma: 328 (324)
▪ University Place: 32 (no change)
▪ Unknown: 2 (no change)
Daily reports include cases received by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
State ferries extend winter schedules
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
As part of the state’s response to COVID-19, all state ferries will continue to operate on their winter sailing schedules through at least June 20. Washington State Ferries’ (WSF) spring season, which includes increased service on some routes, was originally scheduled to begin March 29.
The following service additions that were set to begin with the start of the spring sailing schedule will not occur through June 20:
▪ Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: Third vessel added on weekend schedule.
▪ Anacortes/San Juan Islands: Interisland weekend service and addition of couple of afternoon sailings.
▪ Anacortes/Friday Harbor/Sidney, British Columbia: Start of once daily round-trip to Canada.
Previously made vehicle reservations for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route from April 26 through June 20 will be canceled. Customers will be notified through ferry alerts when reservations will be available again on sailings during this time period.
The release of vehicle reservations for the summer season, which was originally scheduled for April 21, has been canceled. No-show fees for reservations are waived until further notice.
The extension of the winter sailing schedules prepares WSF for effects of COVID-19 that could disrupt service, including:
▪ A significant decrease in ridership due to public health recommendations.
▪ Availability of sufficient crew personnel to meet federal requirements.
How would WA virus restrictions be modified, ended?
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
Health authorities battling the coronavirus outbreak are trying to figure out how and when social distancing restrictions that have shut down many things across Washington state can be modified or ended.
“That’s what a lot of us are working on now: What’s the end game?” said Dr. Elizabeth Halloran, an infectious-disease specialist and modeler at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who advises the federal government on outbreaks. “What can we do short of keeping everything shut down for 18 months or longer until we have a vaccine?”
While an influential University of Washington model suggests deaths and hospitalizations may have peaked in the state, health officials say lifting restrictions to soon could cause cases to surge.
The Seattle Times reports the basic approach to controlling COVID-19 is the same for other epidemics: Identify infected people, as well as those who have been exposed, and isolate them.
But that would mean a huge scale-up of testing and contact tracing, at a time when even nursing homes still can’t get enough test kits and public health agencies are swamped.
More than 10,200 people in Washington state have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 491 have died. The virus causes mild to moderate symptoms in most patients, and the vast majority recover. But it is highly contagious and can be spread by those who appear healthy and can cause severe illness and death in some patients, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.
Inmate relatives press Inslee to free up space
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
Vonquez Del Toro is in the section of the Monroe Correctional Complex where seven of his fellow inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week and he’s scheduled for release in August.
On Saturday, his mother stood outside the Governor’s Residence with a plea to Jay Inslee.
“Let my son out,” said Deborah Del Toro, an Eatonville resident whose son is serving a one-year sentence for assault. “Put him on lockdown in my house. Put a thing on his leg and let him finish off the last three months in my house,” she added, referring to electronic home monitoring.
She was among about 50 people -- most of them relatives of inmates at the Monroe Correctional Complex or other state prisons -- who attended a rally to protest the state’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in correctional facilities.
They urged the governor to release minimum-security inmates in Washington. That would free up space for social distancing -- staying at least six feet apart -- to protect other prisoners from becoming infected with the new coronavirus, they said.
The protestors generally maintained social distancing, and wore masks and gloves. Inslee’s stay-at-home order through May 4 prohibits public and private gatherings of any number of people for “social, spiritual and recreational purposes.”
Inslee didn’t hear their chants or see their signs, which included “Do Better, Jay.” The governor and First Lady Trudi Inslee were at their home on Bainbridge Island, an aide said.
On Friday, the state Supreme Court directed Inslee and Stephen Sinclair, Secretary of the Department of Corrections to “immediately exercise their authority to take all necessary steps to protect the health and safety” of inmates in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The high court ordered them to report in writing no later than noon Monday on “all steps that have been taken and will be taken.”
Inslee said Thursday that the state is considering releasing nonviolent offenders early from prisons across the state to free up space so inmates at risk of infection can be isolated.
That move would not be enough, said April Franklin, a Tacoma resident whose husband is an inmate in the Minimum Security Unit at the Monroe Correctional Complex.
“We need to get our Minimum Security Units emptied out so that those can be used for quarantine and isolation areas,” she said, estimating that would free up about 2,000 beds.
Olympia Little Theatre cancels remainder of 2019-2020 season
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
Olympia Little Theatre has decided to cancel the remainder of the 2019-2020 season. Ticket holders that haven’t been reached by the office can contact the theater about a refund, exchange current tickets for next season or donate back. The theater can be reached at (360) 786- 9484 or by emailing oltadmin@olympialittletheatre.org.
The theatre also announced its 2020-2021 season. The shows inclued: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; Inspecting Carol; The Originals; The Bold, Young, and the Murdered; Tiny Beautiful Things; and Life is Complicated.
AARP, TVW and State Team Up to Provide Important COVID-19 Tips
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
AARP announced a new informational series with the Washington State COVID-19 Joint Information Center and TVW. “Spread the Facts”’ will focus on tips and resources for older adults and their families.
Each Thursday TVW Host David Johnson will speak with local officials and subject matter experts to provide the latest recommendations about how to better cope with the coronavirus pandemic. He’ll also take questions from viewers to address the issues that are on your mind. Each session will be part of the “Teach With TVW Connects” series.
The first episode features Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee and State Secretary of Health Dr. John Wiesman. Gov. Inslee and Secretary Wiesman gave an update on our state’s response, and provided viewers with the latest information and guidelines on how older Washingtonians and their families can care for themselves and their loved ones.
You can view the episode in full here.
This story was originally published April 12, 2020 at 8:43 AM.
