This story originally appeared in the print edition of the April 10 Bainbridge Island Review. The Bainbridge Island Review site has lifted the paywall on this developing story to provide readers with critical information. To support vital reporting such as this, please consider a digital subscription (https://www.bainbridgereview.com/subscribe/).
The number of cases continue to climb. Medical masks now seem omnipresent. Bainbridge businesses continue to struggle, with some closing for the duration. Schools will stay empty through June, and for high school sports, it’s games over.
There’s now 11 people on Bainbridge Island who have been stricken with novel coronavirus (COVID-19) — 10 more than when the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Kitsap County, first on Bainbridge, a month ago.
Kitsap passed another mournful milepost in the last week: the first confirmed death from coronavirus.
Statewide, the spread of COVID-19 also continues, but at a pace slower than earlier projected. According to the State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray, there were 9,097 cases of COVID-19 in Washington state as of 11:59 p.m. April 7. A total of 421 have died from coronavirus.
But as the space between us grows, as well as the amount of time we’ll be more apart than together, Kitsap County health officials have noticed encouraging signs that social distancing is slowing the spread of COVID-19 throughout the region.
First death in Kitsap
The first death of a person in Kitsap County from COVID-19 was reported by the Kitsap Public Health District Monday.
Officials said the Kitsap resident who died was an older adult who had tested positive for COVID-19 and had underlying health conditions.
The health district did not say where the person who died lived, or when the death occurred.
“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,” said Kitsap Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Susan Turner.
“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,” Turner added. “Please continue to stay home, wash your hands, and clean your living spaces. These simple steps can save lives.”
Additional details about the deceased will not be provided, health officials said, to protect private health information.
As of Monday, more than 1,900 Kitsap residents had been tested for COVID-19 and 111 confirmed cases of the disease had been reported.
By Wednesday, the number had climbed to 120.
Another BI case
Kitsap health officials announced Tuesday that another resident of Bainbridge Island had been infected with coronavirus.
The new case of COVID-19 on the island brings the total number of residents who have tested positive for the disease to 11.
Also in its Tuesday update, the health district said the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kitsap has risen to 119.
The county passed the 100 mark Sunday, with 104 cases. Saturday, the number stood at 99.
Still, there was good news at the midweek mark: just one new case of COVID-19 was confirmed.
That single case signified a dramatic drop-off.
Only three times has the number of new cases been just one since the county started reporting positive tests for COVID-19 since March 8.
A single case was reported on March 8, when the first person with COVID-19 — a Bainbridge Island resident in their 60s — was discovered to have the deadly disease.
The other single-day confirmed cases were on March 10 (a Bainbridge Island resident, in their 70s) and March 24 (a Bremerton resident, in their 20s).
Eleven confirmed tests of COVID-19 have been found on Bainbridge since March 8.
It’s not known how many people in Kitsap County, or Washington state or the country, for that matter, have actually been infected with the virus.
Kitsap health district officials reminded the Kitsap County Health Board at its meeting earlier this week that testing has lagged across the country due to a global shortage of test kits for COVID-19.
Schools stay closed
Gov. Jay Inslee ordered all public and private K–12 schools this week to stay shut for the rest of the 2019–20 school year.
Inslee made the announcement during an online press conference Monday afternoon in Olympia. The closure extends the one the governor made in mid-March that closed schools through April 24.
To children who will miss the rest of the school year, Inslee quoted Fred Rogers of the iconic television program, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”:
“Everyone has lot of ways of feeling and all those ways of feeling are fine. It’s what we do with our feelings that matter.”
“I want you to know that we’re going to get through this. We look forward to your bright futures,” Inslee added.
The governor also said there has been talk about limited chances to bring students back together, including for high school seniors to graduate as a group.
“Stay home, stay healthy. Wash your hands,” Inslee said.
The governor said the rise of COVID-19 cases continues to grow, and the state has not yet hit the peak.
“We don’t know where that peak is,” Inslee said.
“This is a tough day for us in Washington,” said State Superintendent Chris Reykdal.
Reykdal said the state is already contemplating how school will return next year, and how the nature of teaching will change.
“It does call into question this fall,” he added.
“This is a big moment for us to transform,” Reykdal said.
More than 1.2 million students in Washington will be impacted by the closure of schools, officials said, and added that more than 80,000 seniors may have attended their last in-person high school class without knowing it.
No place like home
The extension of the school year closure followed an announcement late last week by Inslee that his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” mandate wouldn’t end as planned.
When the governor first made the proclamation, on March 23, the stay-home directive was set for two weeks.
But on April 2, Inslee said in a televised news conference it would continue through 11:59 p.m. Monday, May 4.
On the day of its announcement, made via a televised news conference, COVID-19 had taken 262 lives in Washington State.
“Since just over a week ago, the number of deaths and the number of cases has doubled,” Inslee said. “This order is not only justified, it is morally necessary.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” he said.
Under the order, residents are allowed to go outside, and essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations will remain open.
Back in action
In its first meeting since March 24, the Bainbridge Island City Council held a screens-only council meeting — using Zoom videoconferencing.
Mayor Leslie Schneider said it was a huge shift for everyone involved, as well as “sort of an amazing moment.”
“This is amazingly new,” she said; navigating the requirements for government meetings but not sharing the same room with her colleagues.
Schneider said she didn’t expect any voting during the call-in meeting, but if it had to be done, there would be a roll call tally. Next week’s meeting will include actual votes, but will be restricted to essential business and responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
Beyond the usual bookends to the council meeting, there was but one agenda item: an update on the city’s COVID-19 response.
But first came a bigger call, one for peace.
“Really, right now in this moment we are in, and in especially poignant times. Tomorrow evening is the start of Passover; Sunday is Easter. Most of us will not be with the normal family that we celebrate with,” the mayor said. “And we’re also heading into a time where peak hospitalizations, deaths are likely to be occurring.
“If we can just all sort of be gentle with each other,” Schneider asked.
She then shared a recent quote from Pope Francis, giving a prayer to an empty St. Peter’s Square: “We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.”
The council then settled in for an extensive coronavirus briefing from City Manager Morgan Smith and Emergency Management Coordinator Anne LeSage.
An impressive highlight: an assessment of volunteer hours, and donations of medical supplies and other items that were brought to city hall.
LeSage said 586 volunteer hours for the COVID-19 response have been logged.
“It’s probably triple that,” she said, adding that the figure was based solely on those who had turned in time sheets.
“I’m sure this number is well over 1,000 or 1,500 hours,” LeSage said.
The response to the community call for much needed supplies has also been a modest miracle.
Donations of supplies through April 6: 1,150 N95 respirator masks, 350 surgical masks, 62 safety goggles, 48 face shields (most of which were handmade by people with 3D printers, LeSage said), 110 bottles of hand sanitizer, 415 hand-sewn mask, and hundreds of gloves.
The meeting, scheduled for 65 minutes, went well over time in the usual Bainbridge council tradition.
New format and all, the split-screen show for Zoom viewers lasted a bit more than two hours.
Teenager trouble
The Naggy Mom video didn’t work.
As the last item at the council’s council meeting, Bainbridge Councilman Joe Deets said the council had gotten an email concerned about teenagers not practicing social discipline.
Deets said he also watched a Facebook video by Bainbridge police talking about the issue.
“Is there any next steps, let’s just say, if young folks aren’t quite getting the message?” Deets asked the city manager.
“You know, sometimes young people don’t; you have to take it to the next level, so I’ve heard,” he added.
Smith did.
“Yes, I have some thoughts.”
Smith said she’d also made a video last Friday for the city’s website, but one much less popular than that great one made a Bainbridge officer, Smith admitted.
“And understandably so. Because I was just being a naggy mom.”
The next step, she added: “If officers are continuing to be required to make contacts to disperse kids that they are finding around town, then we are going to start dealing with those folks differently. And whether that’s me taking the time to call their parents, or whatever it takes.”
Smith had a bit more mom talk to share.
“When you have kids in your household you know when they are not home. The question is, do you know where they are, and what they are doing.”
Parents should have that critical talk with their kids about what’s important.
“It’s your job as the parents to implement your own controls in this time.
“And it is a worldwide emergency. I can’t underscore that enough,” Smith said.
It’s easy, and human, to think that when the imminent threat has receded a little bit, it’s gone.
“To feel, like oh, now my next biggest problem has just dropped from ‘Will people around me become sick and die?’ to ‘How do I deal with boredom?’
“And that’s not the reality we’re in,” Smith said.
The critical choices we make over the next few weeks, she added, have the same bottom line: COVID-19 is making people sick and is killing some of them.
“We won’t be able to impose on everyone in the community that perspective from a top down,” Smith added.
“It’s gonna happen in your families, in your neighborhoods, in your communities by embracing social distancing, even though the weather is improving, even though it’s been dragging on for a while.”
Need another reason? The economy.
Economic recovery depends on a community where the disease isn’t spreading.
“And social distancing gets us there,” she said.
So if you care about people who don’t have jobs, businesses being closed down, Smith stressed, “then you need to care about where we are on social distancing.”
Crowd control
Grocery stores on Bainbridge Island have moved to counting customers when they come in the door — and keeping the number of shoppers inside to a number where social distancing can be observed.
Town & Country Market has adopted a virtual “get in line” system to limit the number inside its store “during extremely busy times,” the company said.
That includes senior shopping hours, set up for 7 to 9 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The grocery is advising customers that if an employee isn’t standing at the door, it’s OK to just go inside.
When the doors are being watched, however, customers can go to the business’ website and use the “Get in Line” link. Those using a smart phone can wait in their car, or for those at the door, and wait for a text or an OK to go inside.
T&C said wait times so far haven’t been more than 10 to 15 minutes.
The Safeway store in the Village Shopping Center has also posted employees at the northern main entrance to the grocery, counting shoppers as they enter and sanitizing baskets and carts when they’re not.
The southern entrance by the deli has been closed to maintain a manageable amount of customers in the building.
Age 50-59 bears brunt
The age group of people 50 to 59 has been the hardest hit in Kitsap County by the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Washington, according to statistics released Friday by the Kitsap County Health District.
A total of 22 people who are 50-59 have tested positive for the virus.
Kitsap residents between the ages of 40 to 49 were the next age group to be most impacted; 20 people — or 21 percent of those found to have coronavirus in Kitsap — have been confirmed to have COVID-19.
Least affected have been those 19 or younger. Kitsap County health officials report that just four cases of COVID-19 has been found in that age group.
Overall, the trend continues that most cases of COVID-19 that have been discovered in the county is among those age 49 or younger.
Kitsap County health officials report 49 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in that age bracket.
There have been 46 cases of COVID-19 found in people aged 50 or over.
As of Friday, there have been 95 confirmed cases of the virus in Kitsap County.
Here is the breakdown by age group:
• 0-19: 4 confirmed cases (4 percent)
• 20-29: 15 cases (16 percent);
• 30-39: 10 cases (11 percent);
• 40-49: 20 cases (21 percent);
• 50-59: 22 cases (23 percent);
• 60-69: 14 cases (15 percent);
• 70-79: 8 cases (8 percent); and
• 80 or older: 2 cases (2 percent).
Across all age groups, most confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kitsap fall into the 40 and above age group.
A focused response
Roughly 75 percent of the staff of the Kitsap County Health District has been devoted to the agency’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, officials said this week.
That amounts to 75 of 101 employees. The remainder of the district’s employees are on administrative leave because they are at high risk to exposure to the virus, already out on sick leave, or working on other programs.
Work on case and contact investigations is the priority. That effort, officials said, has shown that social distancing and other non-pharmaceutical intervention measures that have been taken have limited the number of COVID-19 cases the county currently has, over the amount seen in Kitsap at the start of February.
“We totally appreciate all of our residents who are choosing to stay home,” Turner, health officer for the Kitsap County Public Health District, told the Kitsap Public Health Board at its meeting this week.
The case and contact investigations are “critical and essential to slowing the spread of COVID in our community,” said Keith Grellner, health district administrator.
District staff is investigating each confirmed case of COVID-19.
“We chase all those leads down with phone calls and interviews and we provide guidance for all those people,” he explained.
He said the number of close contacts that people confirmed to have COVID-19 “appears to be going down significantly here, as of late.”
The cause of the drop, Grellner agreed, appears to be coming from the social distancing proclamation made by Gov. Inslee earlier, as well as local calls for people to maintain a safe distance from others to slow the spread of the outbreak.
Officials with the Kitsap County Health District also said this week the agency has devoted 5,800 staffing hours — and expenditures that total $376,000 — on the outbreak through the end of March.
“It’s been quite sizable,” Grellner said.
Grellner added that funding from the state will cover most of the agency’s COVID-19 response costs through March.
“That’s a good thing,” he told the board during its Zoom meeting Tuesday.
The healthcare system in Kitsap County is also not being stretched to the limit by the spread of the disease.
“Our hospital system, at the moment, is not overwhelmed,” Turner said.
A lost season
The spring sports season is officially over — earlier and emptier than ever expected.
Following Inslee’s proclamation that public and private schools will not be reopened before the end of the school year in June, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced Monday night that school sports were over for the 2019-2020 school year.
“This will include all regular season contests and practices as well as all postseason tournaments and championship events,” the WIAA said in its announcement.
The WIAA is the governing body of athletic activities for secondary education schools in the state of Washington. The nonprofit reportedly consists of 860 members (410 high schools and 450 middle/junior high schools) both public and private, through which it organizes and oversees thousands of events (games, matches, tournaments, etc.) each year.
The association had previously said it had hoped that some kind of sporting events would be held when schools were previously planned to reopen in May.
Earlier Monday, the WIAA said it was reviewing the governor’s proclamation on the cancellation of all in-person instruction, and seeking clarification if that included sports.
Later Monday, association officials got the word it did.
“The WIAA has received clarification that the order issued by Governor Inslee on Monday includes the cancellation of all in-person extracurricular athletics and activities through the end of the school year,” the association said in its announcement.
“The decision was undoubtedly a difficult one for Governor Inslee. However, it was done so to keep the students and families of Washington safe,” the WIAA added. “The WIAA Executive Board and the WIAA Staff feel for those students around the state that have had their seasons or careers cut short. This terrible disease has not only prevented students from creating lifelong memories through competition, it has limited the valuable lessons gained through participation in education-based athletics and activities.
“The WIAA will continue to work with member schools around the state of Washington to navigate this unprecedented time. We have already seen some outstanding examples of athletic directors and coaches making the best of their situations and we know that work will continue,” the statement concluded.
At Bainbridge High, the spring sports season features the most games and competitors.
BHS athletes compete in baseball, boys soccer, cheer, fastpitch softball, tennis, and track-and-field, as well as club sports that include crew, boys and girls lacrosse, sailing, ultimate Frisbee, Gear Grinders (competitive mountain biking), and girls water polo.
The season started with practices Monday, March 2. But nearly all of the first games were cancelled in the following weeks, before Inslee ordered his first temporary closure of schools in mid-March.
Longtime Bainbridge High Coach Andrew Grimm said the unexpected end was something he’d never imagined.
Grimm had already started track-and-field practices when everything came to a screeching halt.
“In 30 years of coaching I never thought we would have a season canceled,” Grimm said. “I am bummed for the kids, especially the seniors some of them who have worked for years (four) to get to this point.”
“I was hoping we would have some type of abbreviated season but it was not meant to be. As a coaching staff I miss the day-to-day contact watching them improve and pushing themselves to get better, he added.
Grimm stepped back for the bigger view.
“I hope we can keep everything in perspective and come out on the other side of this pandemic better person, a better community, a better state, a better country, and a better world,” Grimm said.
“‘Chop wood, carry water,’” he added, recalling the famous Zen teaching.
City hall to stay closed
Bainbridge Island City Hall and the city’s police station on Winslow Way will stay closed to walk-in services until May 4.
City staff will continue to provide city services through electronic submittals, email and phone throughout the duration of the order, officials said.
Leave it at home
The Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District clamped down harder on closing facilities Thursday, and closed parking lots at Island Center Hall and Seabold Hall.
The move was the third taken by district officials to shut down facilities to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Park facilities, including district offices, sports fields and the aquatic center, were closed early last month until the end of March.
Following the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” clampdown on public gatherings, the district shut down vehicle access to park facilities March 24.
On Thursday, officials announced that it would expand its temporary closure of parking lots to include trailheads and all park district facilities — including the small lots at Island Center Hall and Seabold Hall.
Officials noted that under Inslee’s order, “driving to a park district property is not an essential function outlined in the ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order.”
Parking lots at Battle Point Park have been closed off with yellow warning tape and warning signs, and street barricades were put up to discourage roadside parking.
Officials warned that Bainbridge police would be issuing warning tickets to any vehicles blocking the entrance to a park or parked in an area not designated for parking, including along the street.
“We understand the inconvenience and recognize that not everyone will have easy access to parks and trails, but the decision to close all Bainbridge Island parks and trailheads to vehicle access was made to minimize large gatherings and visitation surges,” park officials said in their announcement.
“Park district staff and local park neighbors continue to observe large gatherings, overflowing parking lots, and people not following the social distancing guidelines established by health professionals,” the message added.
Signs marking the closure at parks say: “If you take a car, the park is too far.”
Better stop now
For people who continue to leave their cars at parks and trailheads, the grace period is coming to an end.
City of Bainbridge spokeswoman Kristen Drew said that while police officers are planning to give warnings to vehicles parked at trailheads, repeat violators will be issued a formal ticket.
Acting Police Chief Scott Weiss estimated that officers have issued at least 14 warning tickets to cars blocking the entrance to a park and/or parked in an area not designated for parking, such as along the street, since March 24.
New rules for schools
The State Board of Education adopted emergency rules Wednesday that will allow school districts to apply for greater flexibility in awarding a diploma to high school seniors impacted by closures.
The new rules are effective immediately, officials said, and can be used for the Class of 2020.
With approval from the state board, public school districts, charter schools, and tribal compact schools will be able waive certain state graduation requirements for individual students.
To be approved, officials said school districts must make a “good faith effort” to give students opportunities to complete credits for high school graduation.
School districts have received guidance from the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction on how to offer students the opportunities for credits.
“In this difficult time, our state’s students come first.” said State Board of Education Chair, Peter Maier.
“By adopting these rules, we considered the many high school students who otherwise would face great limitations due to this historic pandemic. These new rules give flexibility to let school districts support students now, while honoring the student work done before school buildings closed,” he said.
Under the new rules, private schools will be able to waive credit-based graduation requirements for individual students, as well as waive school day and instructional hour requirements for the 2019-20 school year.
The State Board of Education expects to review the first round of applications for waivers on April 21.
Virtual help for parents
Raising Resilience — the Bainbridge nonprofit that provides parenting education, plus resources and connections for families — has launched a free online program to support the emotional well-being of local youth and families.
Called the Connections Café, the program is inviting parents, grandparents, caregivers and educators to a virtual conversation that will feature folks sharing expertise on topics that range from how to parents can motivate students to do keep their schoolwork on track (while they’re working full-time from home) to ways to handle rising anxiety and depression.
Connections Café will be hosted by April Avey Trabucco, executive director of Raising Resilience, as well as board members from the nonprofit and local guest speakers.
“Social distancing shouldn’t have to mean emotional distancing,” said Krzysztofa McDonough, Raising Resilience board president and Connections Café cohost.
“We hope that these new virtual programs and online resources will help keep our parenting community connected and empowered with tools to support each other and our children while we have to stay apart,” she said.
During the next program on April 21, Betsy Lydle-Smith will discuss “Parenting with Compassion.”
On May 5, Jendi Watson will offer tips on “Mindful Parenting Through Crisis.”
The virtual events are being offered through Zoom video teleconferencing free of charge, but require registration. More information can be found at RaisingResilience.org or via social media.
Raising Resilience has also started a new blog series, “Parenting in a Pandemic,” which includes posts with timely advice from local therapists, educators and fellow parents.
The organization is also offering other resources and articles via social media on Facebook and Instagram.
Officials with the nonprofit said it is still planning to reschedule the event that had been planned for March 9 with clinical neuropsychologist William Stixrud and motivational coach and tutor Ned Johnson, the authors of the best-selling book “The Self-Driven Child.”
A new date for the event has not yet been set.
Support still available
Other nonprofits on Bainbridge and beyond are also forging ahead with online offerings.
This month’s planned meeting of Bainbridge’s Alzheimer’s Association Caregiver Support Group will be held over the phone, said Carrie McBride of the Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Chapter.
The dial-in gathering is planned for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 15; group members should contact Lori Gordon at 206-910-9870 for details.
(A full list of available resources can be found at https://alzwablog.org/2020/03/19/covid-19-resources-for-you/.)The Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Chapter is also offering a variety of online and telephone support services.
In Washington, there are 120,000 people age 65 or older who are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and another 353,000 family caregivers who are supporting a loved one with dementia. The association has more than 75 support groups, which give people dealing with Alzheimer’s an opportunity to share personal experiences, feelings and coping strategies with others.
Most of the support groups, which usually have in-person meetings, are now being offered by phone.
“Because of the pandemic, resources have become more limited and people’s routines have been disrupted,” said Joanne Maher, programs director for the Alzheimer’s Association in Washington State.
“This has created a lot of added stress for families impacted by this disease. We’re doing everything we can to ensure people have the support and resources they need to get through this difficult situation,” she said.
The organization’s education program is now offering live, interactive webinars. Topics being offered in April include: “Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia,” “10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s,” “Effective Communication Strategies,” “Dementia Conversations, Legal and Financial Planning,” and “Healthy Living for the Brain and Body.”
All of the association’s services are free of charge.
“We want people to know that they’re not alone in this. We are here to help, whenever they need us,” Maher said.
Opening day off
This year’s opening of the Bainbridge Island Farmers Market was delayed at the last minute due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The opening day had earlier been planned for Saturday, April 4, but was called off late last week.
Organizers have not announced a re-opening date.
The market has been a Saturday staple in downtown Winslow since 1990, and has historically been held in Town Square from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from April through December.
Virus worse elsewhere
Bainbridge Island is no longer the per-capita epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Kitsap County, according to a new report issued this week by the Kitsap Public Health District.
While Bainbridge Island has not led in the raw numbers of people tested positive for COVID-19 — Bremerton had that unwelcome distinction, with 28 confirmed cases — it did lead in Kitsap as the place with the most COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, according to county health officials.
In last week’s breakdown in cases by the Kitsap Public Health District, when there 63 positive COVDID-19 cases in Kitsap, Bainbridge had the highest rate of people testing positive for the virus when based on “cases per 100,000 residents by geographic region.”
That earlier report showed that Bainbridge had 32.89 cases per 100,000 residents, with Bremerton at the low end with 8.89 cases.
The Kitsap Public Health District released an updated weekly surveillance overview Monday, and noted that 104 residents had been confirmed to have COVID-19 through Sunday.
According to the new report, Central Kitsap has the most COVID-19 cases based on confirmed tests per 100,000 residents by geographic region.
Central Kitsap has 56.57 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.
Bremerton is on the other end of the spectrum, with 31.13 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.
The rest of the county:
North Kitsap, 44 confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000;
Bainbridge Island, 41.1 per 100,000; and
South Kitsap, 36.7 per 100,000.
Unprecedented rise
New claims for unemployment benefits soared to a record 181,975 for the week of March 22-28, the Employment Security Department (ESD) announced late last week.
The increase represents a 3,513 percent jump year over year, and a 41 percent increase over the previous week.
By comparison, according to the ESD, the rise is seven times the peak week during the 2008/2009 recession which was 26,075 weekly initial claims. Including the ongoing weekly claims that were filed, ESD saw roughly 350,000 claims come into its claims center last week.
“These numbers suggest two contrasting points,” said Employment Security Commissioner Suzi LeVine.
“One, that more and more businesses and individuals are abiding by the ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order – which is critical for the health of our fellow Washingtonians, and two, this virus is having a profoundly negative impact on our economic health, and that Washington businesses and workers are hurting like never before,” LeVine said.
LeVine said ESD recently improved its website, at esd.wa.gov, to assist people applying for unemployment benefits online.
Hundreds of additional staff have also been hired to the agency’s unemployment insurance team and call center hours have been expanded to include Saturdays.
“We’re using Sundays to return calls,” LeVine added.
“We are humbled here at ESD to help mitigate that economic impact by providing workers and businesses with some amount of relief, especially since we all play a key role in battling this virus,” she said.
Thus far, we have put more than $67 million into people’s pockets and into the Washington state economy since the start of the COVID crisis — between March 15 and March 28. This weekly amount will only grow as we expect weekly new claims to rise even further.”
Major industry sectors experiencing the highest percentage increase of initial claims during March 22-28 were:
• Construction: 28,021 initial claims, up 438 percent from the previous week;
• Wholesale trade: 5,207 initial claims, up 166 percent from the previous week;
• Manufacturing: 13,967 initial claims, up 165 percent from the previous week; and
• Retail trade: 22,002 initial claims, up 153 percent from the previous week.
The counties seeing the highest increase in total initial claims are:
• Snohomish County, up 55 percent from the week before (increase from 13,692 to 21,176);
• Pierce County: up 50 percent from the week before (14,730 to 22,145);
• Spokane County: up 38 percent from the week before (8,766 to 12,102); and
• King County, up 20 percent from the week before (increase from 37,296 to 44,613).
In Kitsap County, a total of 4,941 claims were filed the March 22 through March 28.
The previous week, a total of 3,606 claims were filed.
That’s a stark contrast to the number filed three weeks ago; 259 claims were filed between March 8 and March 15.
Help needed
Bainbridge business leaders are encouraging islanders who want to help save local businesses to buy gift cards.
Jerri Lane, executive director of the Bainbridge Island Downtown Association, and Rex Oliver, president and CEO of the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce, and encouraging people to go to supportlocal.usatoday.com to find local merchants to support. The website is an initiative set up by Gannett, the news media company that publishes USA Today. As of Wednesday, the website featured 36 businesses from Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, and Port Orchard.
“Gift card purchases are a great way to help island businesses during this difficult time,” Lane said.
“This is a call to action,” Oliver added. “Island residents ask us every day how they can help our business community. This site is a great way to do that.”
The website includes links to buy gift cards, as well as links to the individual websites of the businesses listed.
The websites for the downtown association (bainbridgedowntown.org) and the chamber (bainbridgechamber.com) have also posted current information on the status of Bainbridge businesses, as well as information on pickup, delivery and online options.
Call with questions
The Washington State Department of Health is directing people who have questions and concerns about COVID-19 to Washington 211.
People can call 1-800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help.
The line is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
The effort is a partnership between the Department of Health and Washington 211, and replaces the department’s novel coronavirus call center.
Officials noted that callers can continue to dial 1-800-525-0127; press # to be transferred to a Washington 211 call taker.
Washington 211 service includes trained professionals who help callers with questions about where to find more information about COVID-19 symptoms, how to get tested for the virus, how to prevent the spread of the virus, who to contact for medical assistance, forms to fill out if they meet exposure criteria and need to see a health professional, and more.
