In a week, an invisible virus turns life upside down

The decrees came like hammer blows: First, meetings and events were canceled; then the schools were closed, and finally, on Monday, bars and restaurants.

In less than a week, lives in Gig Harbor and the Key Peninsula were turned upside down.

More than 9,000 children were without school for at least six weeks, leaving working parents frantic for child care and stay-at-home moms scrambling for something to occupy the kids.

Restaurant closures threatened the livelihoods of hundreds of low-wage workers — waitstaff, line cooks, dishwashers and others who lost hours or were laid off.

Community life ground to a halt, as meetings, concerts and other events were canceled one by one. The Gateway’s calendar today is empty — there are literally no events to list.

In a town were youth sports is almost an industry, the courts and fields were empty. School sports were ‘done’ for the year, the district superintendent said bluntly, and the big PenMet parks district canceled all of its league sports. The district’s annual guide to spring sports leagues and events, mailed to 24,000 homes just two weeks ago, was suddenly moot.

Among events canceled was an ambitious production of “Les Miserables” at Gig Harbor High School. After weeks of rehearsals, it may never be performed, the student actors dispersed to their homes.

Even the scheduled last day of school was canceled, as students and teachers were told Monday to stay home even before the Tuesday, March 17 shutdown officially began. The reason, the Peninsula School District said, was yet another decree from the governor banning gatherings of more than 50 people.

A week of body blows

Monday dawned bright, clear and sunny. Commuter traffic on Highway 16 was steady as usual. Starbucks was open. Yet life had changed.

As of that day, Pierce County had 29 confirmed coronavirus cases, and, as yet, no deaths. The statewide death toll, however, stood at 42. Gig Harbor had one confirmed case, a man in his 50s from Puyallup who was being treated at St. Anthony Hospital. Another patient from Gig Harbor, a woman in her 60s, was being treated elsewhere, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

The drama began last week, when Gov. Jay Inslee announced an emergency decree banning gatherings of more than 250 people. The ban swept through Gig Harbor like a spring squall, shutting down Rotary Club meetings, school concerts, basketball games and events at the public libraries.

City Hall swiftly followed suit, closing the Gig Harbor Civic Center to the public and shutting down the Municipal Court. Mayor Kit Kuhn said city employees would continue to work and promised no interruption of city services.

“This is a challenging time, and we are in uncharted waters,” the city said in a message posted on the civic center door.

On Monday, city administrator Bob Larson said city employees some employees were being allowed to work from home “on a case-by-case basis,” using laptops and telephones, but critical staff would remain at city hall.

The big blow fell Thursday, March 14, when the governor ordered the closing of schools in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Thurston Counties. The decree was extended the next day to schools through the state.

In response, Peninsula School District Superintendent Art Jarvis ordered all of the district’s 15 schools closed beginning Tuesday, March 17.

“Closure of our schools for six weeks disrupts our world to a degree we have never experienced,” Jarvis said in a message to district staff.

Many details of the closure have still to be worked out, but Jarvis said Friday the district will probably not offer on-line classes, because of equality concerns. He said high school seniors will be able to graduate, one way or another.

Closing the schools left parents basically on their own.

“It’s definitely going to be trying.,” said Kelly Perrow, the mother of a kindergartner and a second-grader. “We have already started what we call Mom School. We are setting up a routine to do school in the morning until lunch time. Then it will be playing outside, riding bikes, building forts.”

Another shoe dropped Sunday night, when Gov. Inslee announced the “temporary” closure of bars and restaurants — a big blow to Gig Harbor, which is highly dependent on dining and tourism.

Restaurateurs said they would try to stay open with carry-out and home delivery, but almost all said they were staring at layoffs.

“We are already down 50 percent,” said Jason Shin, co-owner of Domo Sushi, “If it gets worse than that, it will be scary.”

Coffee shops were still serving lattes, but you couldn’t sit down. At Starbucks, tables and chairs had been piled in a corner, and a sign on the door urged customers to “Grab and Go.”

School superintendent answers shutdown questions. See story on A1

Businesses grapple with coronavirus bans. See story on A1

List of canceled or postponed events. See story on

Key Peninsula plans for coronavirus. See story on

Gig Harbor moms have a plan for kids. See story on

This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM.