Coronavirus updates: State reports highest single-day case total; Inslee to announce new restrictions
Updated at 9:50 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Saturday reported 2,233 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The department is no longer reporting deaths on weekends. Saturday’s mark is another single-day high for the state since the pandemic began, surpassing the previous mark of 2,142, which was set yesterday.
Pierce County reported 302 new cases of COVID-19 and three new deaths. Pierce County had a total of 211 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Saturday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 127,731 cases and 2,519 deaths, up from 125,498 cases and 2,519 deaths on Friday.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 33,816 cases and 836 deaths. Pierce is now second in cases, with 12,730 cases. Yakima County has 12,456 cases and 283 deaths.
All counties in Washington have cases.
Inslee to announce new indoor dining ban this week
Updated at 9:50 a.m.
Only outdoor dining will be permitted under new rules expected to be announced Sunday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, according to a letter sent to members of a prominent industry group.
These temporary restrictions will go into effect Wednesday at restaurants, breweries, wineries and taverns, and will last four weeks, the group said. Currently, the end date stands at Dec. 14.
Additional restrictions on other industries could include reducing capacity to 25 percent at retail, according to the Seattle Times.
Food and drink businesses are permitted to continue takeout, curbside and delivery per their existing license. Some of those regulations have been loosened during the pandemic, such as curbside pickup and delivery from breweries.
Inslee will speak Sunday, the group said, outlining these new measures intended to stem a recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Washington state and across the country.
This new slate of guidance comes after the governor and his wife addressed the state Thursday night, encouraging residents to cancel Thanksgiving plans with people outside their household, and advised a 14-day quarantine for out-of-state travelers.
20 farms fined for not protecting workers from COVID-19
Updated at 9:50 a.m.
Three Mid-Columbia farms are among those receiving the biggest fines in the state from the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries for serious violations of agriculture regulations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
More than 20 farms have been cited for inadequate COVID precautions, The Tri-City Herald reported.
King Fuji Ranch of Mattawa was fined $13,500 after L&I accused workers assigned to different living spaces of interacting with others and not social distancing. The ranch owner has 15 days to appeal.
Agriculture workers should be assigned to work and living groups of up to 15 people and are not supposed to mingle with workers in other groups, according to Washington state COVID-19 safety plans.
Evans Fruit Co. of Sunnyside, Cowiche and Tieton was fined $6,600 after inspections in all three locations found employees were not wearing face masks, taking temperatures or social distancing, according to L&I.
The company is appealing, and an additional inspection is in progress.
Agrilabor of Benton City was fined $5,400 after L&I said it had worker beds that were less than six feet apart. Agrilabor has appealed.
While King Fuji Ranch has been issued the largest fine for agriculture coronavirus-related violations to date, an investigation involving workers who died is underway at Gebbers Farm Operations in Bridgeport, state officials said.
Gebbers has been fined $13,200 for workers assigned to different living groups interacting and no barriers in the kitchen, according to L&I. Gebbers has 15 days to appeal.
L&I has conducted 384 agricultural workplace safety and health inspections this year. Inspectors have found 130 violations, including failures to follow state rules meant to protect workers from the coronavirus.
State COVID-19 surge throttles holiday plans, has area healthcare workers seeking relief
Updated at 9:50 a.m.
Pierce County’s latest COVID-19 surge is revealing the strains of both a public weary of safety measures and a health system leery of what’s ahead as the full brunt has yet to be seen.
After shattering single-day new case total records locally last weekend with a record one-day total above 200, that benchmark was soon eclipsed, edging past 300 on Saturday.
Statewide, the tallies are just as grim, with another record high for the state in new cases posted on Friday, and Pierce County among the top in cumulative cases.
All of this has led to more warnings from both Gov. Jay Inslee and the state Department of Health, imploring residents to keep a lid on holiday celebrations and in-person gatherings.
More emergency orders were expected to be announced by Inslee on Sunday involving indoor dining, gatherings and retail.
“Just two weeks ago, we announced 1,000 new cases in a day for the first time since mid-summer. And, each day this week we have reported over 1,000 new cases per day. This rapid escalation is extremely alarming,” the state Department of Health said late Friday.
A Western compact of sorts already has been created to also help slow the spread.
According to Friday’s situation report issued by the state Emergency Operations Center, Inslee joined California’s and Oregon’s governors “in urging visitors entering their states or returning home from travel outside these states to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the virus.”
But adhering to rules seems to be tough even for at least one of them. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was recently called out for attending a birthday party that didn’t adhere to crowd size limits.
“While our family followed the restaurant’s health protocols and took safety precautions, we should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner,” he said later in a statement, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Inslee on Thursday underscored the seriousness of the situation of gatherings.
“We are in as dangerous a position today as we were in March,” Inslee said Thursday evening during a brief statewide televised address. “We cannot wait until our hospitals’ halls are lined with gurneys waiting for rooms before we take decisive action.
“Please don’t gather with people outside your household. It’s too dangerous.”
