In this photo provided by Anne Marie Canlis, Clementine Canlis, of Seattle, watches an online lecture after her private school closed due to the coronavirus. (Anne Marie Canlis via AP)
Governor Inslee is ordering all public and private K-12 schools closed for the rest of the school year. State superintendent Chris Reykdal is asking the private and public sector to work together to provide connectivity for all families.
Confirmed coronavirus cases across Washington state
Monday:
7:28pm – The Washington State Department of Health is now reporting 8,384 confirmed coronavirus cases statewide, with 372 deaths. There have been 87,902 total tests with 8.6% positive.
5:47pm – The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has reached out to the Office of the Governor and OSPI for further clarification on how Monday’s announcement regarding school closures will impact regular-season and postseason athletic competitions and activities. The WIAA is working to determine the impact if the stay-at-home order were to be lifted on May 4.
5:32pm – Amazon is donating 8,200 laptops to Seattle Public School elementary families as part of the new Alliance for Education “Education Equity Fund” to help close the gap in distance learning while schools remain closed due to coronavirus. The district will prioritize laptops for students who do not have access to a device at home.
According to a release from SPS: “This new fund will support students furthest from educational justice in accessing the technology, technical support and additional learning resources required to continue to learn during the COVID-19 crisis.”
5:19pm – QFC is planning a test pilot of one-way aisles in its stores to make sure shoppers keep a safe distance apart. QFC and Fred Meyer are also limiting the number of customers to 50% of building code capacity to encourage physical distancing.
“As an illustration, the standard building capacity for a grocery store is 1 person per 60 square feet. Under Fred Meyer’s new reduced capacity limits, the number will be 1 person per 120 square feet.”
4:46pm – 3M says the company has a plan to produce 166.5 million N95 protective masks over the next three months to support healthcare workers in the United States. President Trump had used his authority under the 1950 Defense Production Act to stop exporting such masks, also known as respirators. Read more from AP.
3:47pm – Kitsap County has confirmed its first death due to coronavirus. The patient was an older adult with underlying health conditions.
“We were saddened to learn of the death of this community member and our hearts go out to their family and loved ones during this difficult time,” Kitsap Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Susan Turner said. “As a community, we must do everything we can to slow the spread of this illness and protect our neighbors who are most at risk. Please continue to stay home, wash your hands, and clean your living spaces. These simple steps can save lives.”
3:19pm – In King County, public health officials are reporting 222 deaths due to coronavirus, an increase of 14 since Sunday. The county is reporting 164 new cases, bringing the total to 3,331. Snohomish County health officials say 1,603 positive cases, with 58 deaths. Of those, 830 people have already recovered and 527 cases are still under investigation. In Pierce County, there are 31 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 717 cases. Twelve people have died of the virus. Over 8,800 Pierce County residents have been tested.
2:39pm – Gov. Inslee announced Monday that private and public K-12 schools statewide will be closed for the remainder of the school year.
“All schools will continue distance learning through the end of this school year,” Inslee said. Read more here.
2:14pm – The Woodland Park Zoo said on Monday is it canceling ZooTunes concerts, summer day camps, and after hours events like Tasting Flight and WildBites.
“To those who have already purchased tickets for Blondie – thank you for supporting the zoo!,” the zoo posted on Facebook. “We’re sorry we won’t be holding this concert in August and we will be in touch by e-mail soon with next steps.”
1:43pm – Sound Transit said it is temporarily eliminating one roundtrip on Sounder South starting Wednesday, April 8. The transit agency said it is a reflection of a 92 percent reduction in ridership.
Sounder South weekday service will be reduced to seven round trips. Train 1505 (7:55 a.m. southbound Seattle departure) and train 1518 (10:16 a.m. northbound Lakewood departure) will be removed from the schedule. The northbound trips previously canceled are the 1502, 1506 and 1508 departures from Lakewood, and the 1516 and 1522 departures from Tacoma. The canceled southbound trips are the 1503, 1509, 1517, 1519, and 1523 departures from Seattle.
12:55pm – QFC grocery stores in Washington will be enacting new safety measures, limiting the number of customers inside to 50% of building code capacity, and instituting a test pilot program for one-way aisles.
12:27pm – BBC News is now reporting that United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved into intensive care, after an escalation of his coronavirus symptoms.
Johnson was admitted to the hospital on Sunday.
12:14pm – While the coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S., things may finally be looking up here in Washington state, according to the latest numbers from UW’s predictive model. Read more.
11:36am – Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan will be joining AARP Washington on Wednesday at 11 a.m., for a tele-townhall to discuss the impacts of coronavirus on the senior community, “and how to remain vigilant.”
You can watch the town hall online here.
10:48am – A new study concludes that self-testing with a nasal swab “provides a precise, mechanistic readout of respiratory virus shedding and local immune responses,” touting it as a reliable means for getting results.
This comes as researchers look to determine the accuracy of at-home, self-testing, versus tests administered by medical professionals.
10:06am – Seattle City Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales will be presenting their “Tax Amazon” legislation at Monday’s council session at 2 p.m., in hopes of using it to provide coronavirus relief to low income families and small businesses in Seattle.
The proposed tax would give $200,000 in “immediate cash assistance” to as many as 100,000 households.
9:41am – Gov. Inslee will be delivering a live press conference Monday at 2:30 p.m., and will be joined by Washington State Superintendent of Schools Chris Reykdal.
9:27am – The University of Washington is leading a clinical trial in Seattle and New York City to determine whether hydroxychloroquine actually provides protection against coronavirus.
The trial will include 2,000 participants and will over eight weeks.
“If all goes well, [we] will have answers by summer,” said UW Medicine.
8:13am – The 2020 Masters tournament has been officially been moved to Nov. 9-15, after it was initially delayed over concerns related to the coronavirus.
8:04am – Experts from both the University of Washington and Washington State University will convene for a panel Thursday, April 9 at 4 p.m., to talk about how the spread of inaccurate information has complicated efforts to quell the coronavirus pandemic.
Participants will include Jevin West, the director of UW’s Center for an Informed Public, UW Associate Professor Kate Starbird, WSU Associate Professor Porismita Borah, and more.
7:21am – UW Medicine and Bloodworks Northwest are calling for volunteers who have successfully recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma, in hopes of developing a new therapy to treat the virus.
If you qualify, head over to this link for more information about how you can participate.
6:30am – Travelers continue to be sparse at airports across the U.S., with the TSA screening just 118,302 people at checkpoints nationwide on Saturday, a new low.
Numbers were similarly low on Sunday, when 122,029 travelers were screened at TSA checkpoints.
5:48am – The weeks-long statewide closure of K-12 schools Gov. Jay Inslee ordered last month is set to expire April 24. But with the rest of the state ordered to stay home beyond that date, could school already be out for the summer? Read more.
5:05am – Jay Inslee decried the lack of a federal response to the COVID-19 crisis over the weekend, in the wake of numerous statements from President Trump describing the White House as a “backup” to states battling the virus on the front lines.
“This is ludicrous that we do not have a national effort,” Inslee told MSNBC’s Meet the Press. “To say we’re a ‘backup,’ can you imagine if Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, ‘I’ll be right behind you Connecticut — good luck building those battleships’?”