Publisher’s note: We have created this ongoing report on information related to COVID-19 as it applies to our communities. It will be updated regularly to reflect changing information.

Our latest coverage

Community Pantry a group effort for Brier family

Census Bureau delays field operations due to COVID-19 outbreak

Cities encourage residents not to flush disposable wipes

Expect long waits on Saturdays due to changes at county recycling, transfer stations

From the Snohomish Health District

Health officer extends prohibition on large events and gatherings indefinitely, require isolation and quarantine 

 Dr. Chris Spitters, health officer for the Snohomish Health District, on Tuesday, March 31 extended indefinitely two earlier orders aimed at reducing the likelihood that individuals will be exposed to COVID-19 at community events and gatherings. Order No. 20-061, which goes into effect at midnight, reinforces the prohibits all events or public venue gatherings of 50 or greater attendees until further notice. Events or public venue gatherings with fewer than 50 attendees are prohibited unless event organizers unless steps are taken to mitigate and minimize risk.

Spitters also issued a new order that focuses on the critical importance to remain in self-quarantine if exposed to a confirmed case or symptomatic with a pending test, or to stay isolated away from others if they tested positive for COVID-19.

Order No. 20-062 has two parts:

• Quarantine Directive. This states that everyone with COVID-19 symptoms with a test result pending shall remain in quarantine while waiting for the test results.
• Isolation Order. This requires everyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 to remain in isolation, away from others in their home as much as feasible, until no longer infectious.

This means individuals should not leave their home or recovery facility for any reason, except to receive medical care.

For individuals with symptoms, their isolation or quarantine should only end after at least seven days have passed since symptoms first appeared or at least three days (72 hours) have passed since symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer. Symptom-free means no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in any respiratory symptoms, such as cough or shortness of breath.

If an individual with active COVID-19 is not voluntarily remaining isolated, or if an individual who has COVID-19 symptoms with a test pending is not remaining self-quarantined, they may be subject to enforcement actions. This could include legal actions for involuntary detention.

The public has been highly accepting of and cooperative with public health’s actions done to protect the community’s health and well-being in Snohomish County. While these orders are enforceable by law, our focus is on helping people understand the importance of social distancing. Pursuing legal action would be a last resort for resolving violations and should be unnecessary for individuals who are concerned about the health of others.

Isolation and quarantine facility

As announced on March 28, Snohomish County is opening an isolation and quarantine facility this week at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. Isolation and quarantine is a proven public health practice for reducing the spread of disease. Examples of people who may need this assistance include people who cannot safely isolate from a family member who is elderly or medically fragile, or people experiencing homelessness.

Individuals can only be placed into the site after the Snohomish Health District has determined that they need isolation or quarantine. The number of people at the isolation and quarantine sites will be included in regular updates provided by the health district. However, no other identifying or personal information will be provided.

Increasing number of cases at long-term care facilities

Individuals with underlying health conditions and those over the age of 60 are at a higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19. This is one of the reasons the Snohomish Health District has assembled an outreach team focused on infection prevention and control in assisted living, skilled nursing and similar long-term care facilities.

On March 27, there were seven long-term care and assisted living types of facilities with confirmed cases of COVID-19. As of March 31, there are now 20 facilities with confirmed cases involving patients or staff, and an additional five facilities with pending tests.

Washington State guidelines for data release, which are intended to protect patient privacy, discourage us from releasing settings with fewer than five cases. For that reason, only Josephine Caring Community in Stanwood (with 21 cases) and Sunrise View in Everett (31 cases) are being listed individually online.

This increase in the number of facilities with cases is quite concerning, particularly given the limited staff and personal protective equipment resources in our communities. The Snohomish Health District is working to establish broader surveillance testing for high-risk facilities. This means those facilities with at least one confirmed case.

Staff and leadership at long-term care, assisted living, skilled nursing and adult family homes must ensure they are complying with all local, state and federal guidelines. While these guidelines may feel too restrictive, especially in regards to visiting loved ones, they are in place to protect the workers, patients and our communities. In order to do that, these facilities to be proactive and transparent with health district staff. They should not wait for multiple people to be symptomatic.

The goal continues to be working together to limit the spread of infection community wide.

Drive-thru testing

The Snohomish Health District is continuing to operate the community based drive-thru testing site located near Everett Memorial Stadium at 3900 Broadway. During the first week of operations, 954 individuals were seen for testing.

Appointments through April 3 are currently available online at www.snohd.org/drive-thru-testing for eligible individuals meeting criteria.

From the Washington State Department of Health

Frequently asked questions

Who do I contact to report a business is remaining open?

Remember, “essential” businesses are allowed to operate because they provide a service that is critical to the health and safety of Washingtonians. If you’re concerned that a non-essential business is open and not complying with the governor’s order, you can file a complaint using this online form.

How does the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order affect kids who live with two parents in separate houses?

The governor has clarified that his stay home-stay healthy order should not interfere with a private parenting plan. So, kids can travel to see both parents, as previously agreed in the parenting plan.

Are funerals banned by the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order?

Licensed funeral homes and cemeteries may conduct funeral services in a funeral home or at a graveside as long as the funeral is attended only by immediate family members of the deceased. The family members in attendance must maintain proper social distancing, by staying 6 feet apart.

I thought you were going to update the data on your website every day?

We thought so too. And we will. As soon as we can. Please know, we are committed to data transparency. We are working to ensure daily numbers are posted on time, but have had many recent challenges with our tracking system.

We’re having some technical difficulties with the Washington Disease Reporting System (WDRS). WDRS is the database labs and health care providers use to report notifiable conditions, like COVID-19, to us. Usually, we only ask for positive test results, but, for COVID-19, we are also tracking negative test results. The good news is that there are many more negative results than positive. The bad news is that this volume is overwhelming the system. We are working with the vendor supporting WDRS to increase capacity and looking into other ideas that might help. We’ll keep you updated if these technical issues persist.

Got more questions? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions section of our website to find answers.