News for the Week of January 11

News highlights for the week of January 11.

King County is currently in Phase 1 of the state's Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery plan. On Jan. 11, King County entered Phase 1 of the state's new Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery plan. This new path forward allows us to balance fighting COVID-19 and saving lives with safely reopening the economy and vaccinating as many people as possible. Learn about what's open and its limitations. Click here to read more.

State to Text Every Person Who Tests Positive. The State will be texting a verification code to every person in Washington state who tests positive for COVID-19. Check out the details here.

Outbreak Data Now Available Through Online Dashboard. Updated data on COVID-19 outbreak settings is now available on Public Health’s COVID-19 webpage. It provides a snapshot of the number of outbreaks that Public Health has identified across various settings such as worksites, long term care facilities and schools. Follow this link to learn more about this reporting tool.

DOH data shows high activity and signs of a recent uptick. On January 13, the Washington DOH released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19. Click here to read the statewide SitRep.

DoH announces all regions will remain in Phase 1 until at least Monday, Jan. 18. Based on Gov. Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery plan released last week, all eight regions in Washington will remain in Phase 1 until at least Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. Click here for the latest.

Video Update from the City Manager. The next video update from City Manager Jessi Bon will take place on January 19 during the City Council meeting.

January 15 Situation Report. For highlights and information from the 45^th week of the City’s response to the pandemic, click here.

Information for Businesses

New Reopening Guidance for Businesses and Workers. On January 5, Governor Inslee announced the Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery plan, which lays out the process to safely reopen Washington state. The plan includes guidance for certain businesses and industries to help protect Washingtonians and minimize the spread of COVID-19. The full Healthy Washington phased chart is available here.

Important Reference Documents

• Regional Phase Status (“Roadmap to Recovery”)
• Outdoor and Open-air Structures
• Voluntary Contact Information

Healthy Washington Requirements

The following business activities must adhere to the occupancy and operation requirements outlined for their region’s Healthy Washington phase:

• Professional Services
• Personal Services

Eating and Drinking Establishments

• Restaurants, Taverns, Wineries, Breweries and Distilleries
• Guide for Outdoor Dining

Sports, Recreation and Fitness

• Fitness and Training (Significant changes, including new flexibility)
• Outdoor Recreation (Overnight summer group camps added to this doc)
• Water Recreation (Now its own separate doc)
• Sporting Activities: recreational, K-12, higher education and professional (Significant new changes including new sports added to low risk)
• Racing: non-motorized and motorized (Biking and running races combined with motorized races and activities)
• Golf (Mini-golf added to this doc)

Indoor Entertainment Establishments

• Bowling
• Card Rooms
• Museums

Outdoor Entertainment Establishments

• Drive-In Theaters
• Zoos and Aquariums (These activities now in their own doc)

Additional Industry Requirements

• Car Washes
• Construction
• Domestic Services
• Manufacturing
• Motion Picture Industry
• Pet Grooming
• Theater and Performing Arts
• Vehicle and Vessel Sales

Vaccine News

King County COVID-19 Vaccine Data At-a-Glance. Page updated daily at https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/vaccination.aspx

Vaccine distribution update from the DOH. On January 13, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) shared key updates on our COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration efforts. Click here for the release. The graphic below are the vaccination numbers for King County (as of January 14):

School News

January 8 Update from Superintendent Colosky. Happy New Year! This week was a special one for our District as we welcomed our kindergarten students back as planned on Wednesday, the first public school district in King County to do so. The success of in-person kindergarten classes this week gives us added confidence to remain on schedule to bring first graders back on Tuesday, January 19. As MISD demonstrates the ability to limit transmission for the first graders brought back to in-person learning, we will continue with our Learning Forward plan and bring in the next grade bands of learners. Click here for the to continue reading.

COVID-19 Reporting

Latest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 271,643 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on January 13. There have been 3,876 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. In Mercer Island, there have been 412 positive cases reported as of January 14. For that latest city and county data, click here.