Coronavirus updates: Inslee issues guidance for higher education, workforce training
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Tuesday, June 2.
Updated at 4:20 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 180 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and five deaths.
Statewide totals are now at 22,157 cases and 1,129 deaths, up from 21,977 cases and 1,124 deaths on Monday
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 8,177 cases and 570 deaths. Snohomish County has 2,987 cases and 149 deaths, while Yakima County has 3,817 cases and 96 deaths. Pierce County reported on Tuesday a total of 1,967 cases and 75 deaths.
Washington’s least populous county, Garfield, remains the only one without a case. Seven other counties are reporting fewer than 10 cases each.
There are 27 cases that haven’t been assigned a county.
Twenty-eight people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on May 25, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 saw 88 admittances, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
The total number of people who have been hospitalized in Washington state with a confirmed case of COVID-19 stood at 3,543 on Tuesday.
Washington state has conducted 368,799 tests, with 6% 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.
Pierce County reports 12 new cases
Updated at 2:35 p.m.
Pierce County reported 12 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and two additional deaths.
The county total is now 1,967 cases and 75 COVID-19 deaths, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
The new deaths involved a Southwest Pierce County man in his 80s and a Central Pierce County man in his 60s, both with underlying health conditions.
Four additional deaths also involved patients with COVID-19 but are not counted among the official death toll where the disease has been determined the likely cause, as the health department explained last week.
Case and death data can change as new information emerges to correct duplicates, false positives or to assign a case to another county.
The health department estimates that the number of still-active confirmed cases is 423.
Application for Phase 2; free testing this month
On Tuesday, Pierce County submitted its application for approval to move into Phase 2 of the state’s Safe Start plan.
The application goes to the state’s Secretary of Health John Wiesman for review to determine whether to approve.
Until that approval, the county remains in Phase 1.
Among other qualifying factors, the county must have fewer than 25 positive cases per 100,000 residents in a span of 14 days. The health department on Tuesday said Pierce County had 17.2 cases per 100,000 over the past 14 days (155 new cases in the last 14 days, an average of 11.1 new cases each day..)
Availability of testing and rapid turnover of results is another qualifying benchmark.
Kroger, parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC, on Monday announced it was extending its drive-thru testing in Tacoma through the month of June.
The testing, available to patients who qualify via online registration, is available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Tacoma Dome from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.
You must register online before going. Registration is at thelittleclinic.com/drivethru-testing.
The tests are provided at no cost to patients and no insurance is needed.
MultiCare and CHI Franciscan, among other medical providers, also offer COVID-19 testing at sites in the county. Go to tpchd.org/healthy-people/diseases/covid-19/testing-information for a list of locations.
There have been 27,074 coronavirus tests run on Pierce County residents with 7.2 percent of them positive as of May 31, 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.
Monday’s geographical case totals are listed below with previous day’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 48 (no change)
▪ Central Pierce County: 143 (142)
▪ East Pierce County: 56 (55)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 93 (no change)
▪ Frederickson: 65 (no change)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 55 (no change)
▪ Graham: 58 (57)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 7 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 50 (49)
▪ Lakewood: 206 (no change)
▪ Parkland: 113 (110)
▪ Puyallup: 141 (no change)
▪ South Hill: 105 (no change)
▪ South Pierce County: 37 (no change)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 21 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 66 (no change)
▪ Tacoma: 628 (625)
▪ University Place: 65 (64)
▪ Unknown: 10 (9)
Daily reports include cases received by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we are reporting coronavirus numbers
The News Tribune reports confirmed coronavirus cases as listed by the Washington Department of Health and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in their daily updates.
The state total includes all cases submitted by county health departments by 11:59 p.m. the previous day and is updated once a day by 6 p.m. on its website. Its numbers only include the cases the health departments have reported directly to the state. In some cases, county health departments have reported cases publicly but not to the state health department by the daily deadline, leading to different totals on occasion.
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department updates its total by 2 p.m. each day on its website, and consists of all new confirmed cases reported by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
Pierce County applies for Phase 2
Updated at 2:35 p.m.
Pierce County has submitted its application to enter Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start COVID-19 recovery plan.
County Executive Bruce Dammeier approved the application Tuesday after the Board of Health and the Pierce County Council unanimously voted to send the state a plan to reopen.
“I’m proud that the people of Pierce County have worked so diligently to get to this point,” Dammeier said in a statement. “And, I’m confident that we can safely and responsibly transition to the next phase of our recovery.”
The state will make the final decision on whether Pierce County reopens. The Secretary of Health could accept, modify or deny the application.
If accepted, Phase 2 allows retailers to resume in-store purchases, restaurants to reopen with 50 percent capacity and table sizes no larger than five diners, and the re-start of new construction, real estate, hair and nail salons, and barbers.
Pierce County’s application includes metrics of positive cases, hospital capacity and ability to handle a surge of new patients.
Here are 10 of the targets and where Pierce County falls, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department:
Fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 over 14 days. Pierce County: 18.3 cases
Hospitalization trend for COVID-19 is flat or decreasing. Pierce County: flat
Transmission rate is one, meaning when someone tests positive, they infect one other person on average. Transmission rate in Western Washington is currently one.
10 percent of licensed hospital beds occupied by patients. Pierce County: 8.9 percent
50 tests administered per COVID-case. Pierce County: 37.3 tests per case
2 percent of tests are positive. Pierce County: 2.7 percent
Median time from symptom onset to test collection is fewer than two days. Pierce County: two days
90 percent of cases contacted by investigators within 24 hours of positive lab results. Pierce County: 89 percent
80 percent of contacts are reached within 48 hours of a positive lab result. Pierce County: 82 percent
Two or fewer outbreaks at workplace or facilities for counties larger than 300,000. Pierce County: zero outbreaks last week
Two more metrics were added to the final application on Sunday, including more details about Pierce County’s COVID-19 response, who is disproportionately affected, and different reporting metrics for contract tracing work, according to a TPCHD tweet.
State reports 275 new cases on Monday
Update at 8:35 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Monday reported 275 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and six deaths.
Pierce County reported eight new cases and no new deaths Monday. Pierce County had a total of 73 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Monday.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 21,977 cases and 1,124 deaths, up from 21,702 cases and 1,118 deaths on Sunday.
Twenty-three people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on May 23, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 saw 88 admittances, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
The total number of people who have been hospitalized in Washington state with a confirmed case of COVID-19 stood at 3,517 on Monday.
Washington state has conducted 365,272 coronavirus tests, with 6 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 1.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 105,003 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 374,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 8,123 cases and 569 deaths. Snohomish County has the second highest number of deaths at 149. Yakima County has the second highest number of cases at 3,749.
Washington’s least populous county, Garfield, remains the only one without a case. Seven other counties are reporting fewer than 10 cases each.
New Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma announces opening date
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
The Puyallup Tribe on Monday announced the opening date for its new Tacoma Emerald Queen Casino.
The casino, at 2920 E. R St. in Tacoma, built at a cost of $400 million, will open June 8.
According to a news release announcing the details of opening day: “The day will begin with a prayer and opening ceremony at 9 a.m. After the ceremony, the casino’s doors will open exclusively for tribal members. At noon, it will open to the general public.”
The site had been set to open in late March. That was before the coronavirus pandemic swept through Washington state, leading the tribe to temporarily shutter casino operations, followed by layoffs and furloughs.
The Fife location of Emerald Queen Casino reopened May 18 with new COVID-19 safety measures in place, including limited occupancy, temperature scans upon entry and requiring face masks for both guests and staff, along with frequent sanitization on site.
Those same restrictions will apply for the new casino.
“We want to thank our staff and predecessors on Council for their perseverance. They’ve worked hard to make this dream an amazing reality,” the Tribal Council, the tribe’s governing body, said in a statement Monday.
The 310,000-square-foot facility will be home to five restaurants including a small cafe, a fine dining restaurant, a buffet, a coffee shop and a sports bar, “though COVID-19 restrictions will initially be in place,” according to Monday’s announcement.
The new site replaces the Tacoma I-5 casino, which was a former bingo hall with three large adjoining tents.
The Fife location remains open. A free shuttle service will be offered to the new location from EQC in Fife. Overflow parking with free shuttle service also will be available at the nearby former EQC I-5 Tacoma location off East 32nd Street.
Looking ahead, a 12-story, 170-room hotel is under construction next to the new casino and is set to be completed this summer.
More information is at emeraldqueen.com.
Inslee issues guidance for higher education, workforce training
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday issued higher education and workforce training requirements in Phase 1 and Phase 2.
These guidelines do not apply generally to higher education institutions; they apply only to workforce training programs that require in-classroom/lab practicums only.
Through the Washington “Safe Start” plan, more businesses and activities will re-open in phases, with adequate safety and health standards in place. Each phase will be at least three weeks.
Additionally, counties with less than 25 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents over a 14-day span can apply to move to Phase 2 of “Safe Start” before other parts of the state.
County variance applications will be approved or denied by the secretary of the Department of Health. Twenty-six counties have been approved to move to the next phase.
Requirements for Phase 1 can be found here.
Requirements for Phase 2 can be found here.
Inslee to extend moratorium on COVID-19 evictions
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
The statewide moratorium on evictions of residential tenants for nonpayment of rent will be extended, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday.
The governor said he plans to sign a proclamation to extend the moratorium on Tuesday, but did not say how long it will last. The moratorium, which Inslee initially announced on March 18, has been extended once and was set to expire Thursday.
“It will include some modest adjustments. Because we are still significantly impacted by COVID-19, continuing these protections is necessary at this time,” Inslee said. “I understand that by and large tenants impacted by COVID-19 are paying what they can, when they can. Both tenants and landlords must work together during this crisis.”
Details will be released on Tuesday, said Inslee spokeswoman Tara Lee.
Inslee said his extension of the moratorium “encourages increased communication between tenants and landlords to ensure a smoother transition.”
Pierce County Council approves Phase 2 application; Dammeier’s signature all that’s needed
Updated at 8:35 a.m.
Pierce County Council voted unanimously Monday to approve the county’s application to move to Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan.
County Executive Bruce Dammeier was expected to sign the plan and forward it to the state.
Health Director Dr. Anthony Chen said the health department was finishing the application.
“We know Pierce County residents and leaders are anxious to get moving, get our economy going, and to give people more freedom with the restrictions, while ensuring we can continue to protect public health,” the health department’s spokesperson Edie Jeffers said in an email Monday evening.
The state will decide if Pierce County reopens. The Secretary of Health can approve the plans as submitted, approve with modifications or deny the application. Until then, the county remains under Phase 1 restrictions.
The application includes Pierce County’s plans for contact tracing, testing, housing to allow those who need to isolate or quarantine but cannot, and an outline to respond to outbreaks at workplace or living facilities.
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 8:45 AM.
