Coronavirus updates: Businesses ignoring closure orders can be cited, fined; universities brace for budget hit
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Tuesday, May 26.
Updated at 3:40 p.m.
The Pac-12 Conference announced Tuesday that it will allow voluntary in-person athletic workouts for all sports to commence on June 15, “subject to the decision of each individual campus and where permissible by relevant governmental entities.”
Last week, the NCAA announced it would permit conferences and schools to reopen for on-campus voluntary athletically-related activities on June 1. The conference then decided to update its COVID-19 pandemic policy during a meeting of the Pac-12 CEO Group earlier on Tuesday.
“The Pac-12 is committed to the well-being of our student-athletes, and the decision to allow for voluntary workouts, subject to a determination by each school, is guided by the advice of our medical experts and will be supported by the detailed protocols established by our medical advisory committee in concert with our campus’ own safety guidelines,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement.
“As states have either already opened or begin to open up access to parks, gyms and other training facilities, student-athletes should have the option at this time to be in, what for many, will be a much safer environment on campus, where they can have access to the best available health, well-being and training support.”
Under Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan, Washington state is using a staged approach to reopening. Small gatherings of no more than five people are permitted in Phase 2 while gatherings of no more than 50 people are permitted in Phase 3. Gatherings of 50 or more people aren’t permitted until Phase 4.
While some counties in the state have moved to Phase 2, King County — home to the University of Washington — currently remains in Phase 1. Unless a county is approved to move to the next phase early, phases are supposed to last at least three weeks. Under the current plan, King County wouldn’t reach Phase 4 until July.
In a release, the Pac-12 said its decision was “informed by a comprehensive set of best practice guidelines and protocols established by the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee.” The committee includes infectious disease specialists, physicians, researchers and trainers connected to conference universities.
Pierce County reports 3 new COVID-19 cases
Updated at 3:15 p.m.
Pierce County on Tuesday reported three new COVID-19 cases with one new death.
The county’s totals now stand at 1,877 cases and 75 deaths, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
The health department noted Tuesday’s low total might be the result of data processing delays over the Memorial Day holiday.
Daily case totals can change as the county receives new information about cases, finds duplicate data or is assigned cases originally attributed to other counties.
The latest death involved a Tacoma woman in her 80s with underlying health conditions.
The county’s COVID-19 tracking page estimated the number of still-active confirmed cases at 494, with 1,383 estimated as assumed recovered.
There have been 23,972 coronavirus tests run on Pierce County residents with 7.4 percent of them positive as of May 24, according to state Department of Health data. That total does not include negative tests from long-term care facilities or tests not yet assigned to a county, according to the county health department.
Tuesday’s geographical case totals are listed below with previous day’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 47 (no change)
▪ Central Pierce County: 136 (no change)
▪ East Pierce County: 51 (no change)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 87 (no change)
▪ Frederickson: 65 (64)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 52 (no change)
▪ Graham: 55 (no change)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 7 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 46 (no change)
▪ Lakewood: 195 (194)
▪ Parkland: 104 (no change)
▪ Puyallup: 135 (no change)
▪ South Hill: 103 (no change)
▪ South Pierce County: 38 (no change)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 21 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 65 (no change)
▪ Tacoma: 600 (599)
▪ University Place: 62 (no change)
▪ Unknown: 8 (no change)
Businesses ignoring closure orders can be cited and fined
Updated at 3:15 p.m.
Washington businesses that decide to open or operate in direct violation of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order may be cited and fined for unsafe workplace conditions under emergency rules filed today by the state Department of Labor & Industries.
The emergency rules, enacted at the direction of the Governor, take effect immediately. They give the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) the authority to cite businesses for being open or for operating in a way that is purposely defying the phased-in approach and, as a result, putting their workers at risk.
“We’re all in this together, and most businesses are doing the right thing for our state and our communities. Unfortunately, there are some that are choosing not to,” said L&I Director Joel Sacks. “The coronavirus is a known workplace hazard and businesses must follow the requirements to keep their workers and the public safe.”
L&I will work with the state Emergency Operations Center to take in and respond to complaints about businesses that are operating illegally. If employers are found to be defying the Governor’s order, they’ll be informed and directed to close or adjust operations immediately. If they do not, they’ll face a workplace safety citation that could carry a fine of nearly $10,000 or more.
Along with contacting businesses by phone and in writing, L&I will perform in-person spot checks on some of the businesses to make sure they are following through and complying with the Safe Start requirements. L&I’s role will complement efforts by the Liquor and Cannabis Board and other state licensing and permitting agencies.
USDA approves program to feed kids in Washington
Updated at 3:15 p.m.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced Washington has been approved to operate Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), a new program authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provides assistance to families of children eligible for free or reduced-price meals dealing with school closures.
Washington will be able to operate Pandemic EBT, a supplemental food purchasing benefit to current SNAP participants and as a new EBT benefit to other eligible households to offset the cost of meals that would have otherwise been consumed at school.
For the 2019-2020 school year, Washington had approximately 511,000 children eligible for free and reduced-priced lunch, or approximately 43% of children in participating schools.
Under FFCRA, States have the option to submit a plan to the Secretary of Agriculture for providing these benefits to SNAP and non-SNAP households with children who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals due to pandemic-related school closures.
State agencies may operate Pandemic EBT when a school is closed for at least five consecutive days during a public health emergency designation during which the school would otherwise be in session.
Washington colleges, universities prepare for budget cuts
Updated at 8:30 a.m.
Washington’s public colleges and universities are preparing for large budget cuts because of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The Seattle Times reports the state is expected to slash funding, since higher education dollars aren’t protected by the state constitution in the same way K-12 dollars are.
With the coronavirus pandemic expanding this spring, universities lost hundreds of millions in residence hall rents, meal plans, parking fees and sports tickets when schools closed their campuses. At community colleges, many hands-on vocational programs were canceled.
When — or if — students return campus life will likely be different, with many lectures taught online and dorm rooms reconfigured to keep people apart.
“I’m a little worried people don’t understand quite how bad this is going to be,” said Western Washington University English professor Bill Lyne, president of United Faculty of Washington State, a faculty union for four Washington public schools.
Higher education can be cut because it’s considered discretionary. While Washington’s Constitution enshrines education as the state’s paramount duty, few believe that includes learning beyond 12th grade.
In the current fiscal year, the state appropriated $2.2 billion for higher education, including $377 million in student financial aid. Colleges and universities collected $1.5 billion in tuition and fees.
During the 2008 recession, higher education institutions were among the hardest-hit state agencies. State funding per student declined by about 35 percent in Washington between 2007 and 2012. Only five other states cut higher-education funding by a higher percentage than Washington during the recession years.
Colleges and universities laid off workers, eliminated academic programs, restricted admissions, increased class sizes, decreased the number of advisers, and froze faculty recruitments and salaries.
Washington state reaches 20,000 cases
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Monday reported 237 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths as of midnight Sunday.
Pierce County reported seven new cases and no new deaths Monday.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 20,065 cases and 1,070 deaths, up from 19,828 cases and 1,061 deaths on Sunday.
The total number of people who have been hospitalized in Washington state with a confirmed case of COVID-19 is 3,290. Thirteen people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on May 17, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 saw 88 admittances, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
Washington state has conducted 330,598 coronavirus tests, with 6.1 percent coming back positive. The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which are given to patients while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
There have been more than 1.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 98,034 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 344,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
King County continues to have the highest numbers, with 7,826 cases and 550 deaths. Snohomish County has 2,904 cases and 136 deaths.
Washington’s least populous county, Garfield, remains the only one in the state without a case. There are 62 cases that haven’t been assigned a county.
A total of 21 counties have been approved to move to the second phase of Gov. Jay Inslee’s reopening plan: Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Cowlitz, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Pacific, Pend Orielle, San Juan, Skamania, Spokane, Stevens, Wahkiakum and Whitman. Clallam, Kitsap and Thurston counties are eligible to apply for a variance.
Counties must “have an average of less than 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period,” according to the state DOH.
Quinault Beach Resort and Casino to open to public Thursday
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
The Quinault Beach Resort and Casino near Ocean Shores has announced it will reopen in phases starting Tuesday.
At noon Tuesday, the resort will open to Quinault Nation tribal members only. Then at 10 a.m. Wednesday, it will open to Grays Harbor residents as well.
The general public will be admitted starting at 10 a.m. Thursday.
“The Quinault Indian Nation is committed to following best available science to safely reopen our businesses and the local economy,” said Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp in a news release. “New and emerging science will be our guide to ensure we continually update best practices to protect the health of our employees and guests.”
The property will reopen with limited capacity and safety protocols because of the coronavirus outbreak. The casino will reopen for slot-play only. All casino employees are being tested for COVID-19 prior to the reopening, the news release said.
The resort will be asking guests to wear masks and taking temperatures at the door. No smoking will be allowed, the news release said.
The Ocean Lounge and the Bistro will be open for dine-in and take out with limited capacity. The Ocean Lounge and the Circle Bar will be open for food and drinks. Emily’s restaurant and the buffet will remain closed, according to the news release.
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 8:38 AM.
