A warning from the Snohomish County COVID-19 briefing on Friday: Social distancing will last months and could remain in some form for years.

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers also spoke out on Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney’s Facebook post earlier this week, calling Fortney’s comments: “dangerous and irresponsible.” In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Sheriff urged quicker action to reopen the county, and reiterated his position that he will not enforce “stay home”orders.

Somers reiterated the view of many elected officials and health experts that the stay-at-home restrictions imposed by Gov. Jay Inslee are working, and that the county must not loosen up without sufficient protective measures in place. “Those that call for disregarding those orders just need to stop it,” he warned. To open up now “would cost lives; people would die,” he said.

The county’s chief medical officer, Dr. Chris Spitters, said limited new test sites — which will be clinic-based — will open soon in South Snohomish County. Appointments will be taken for next Wednesday and Friday, and will be available from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday. Slots will be opened up on Monday, April 27 for April 29, and on Wednesday, April 29 for May 1.

The county said that more information will be released on Monday, including location details and updated registration links. Staff are also finalizing details for east and north county locations that will be available in early May. Updates and information will be available at www.snohd.org/drive-thru-testing.

Spitters said the county is averaging about 2,500 tests a week, but that testing capacity is still affected by the limited availability of kits, swabs and personnel to give the tests.

He announced that county data continue to show a slowing of the coronavirus outbreak; and that rates of infection look promisingly lower. The job now, he insisted, is to implement “incremental steps, not giant leaps,” as the county plans for recovery. Spitters also outlined what a “safe and healthy path to a new normal looks like.”

“We all want to resume our normal or near-normal social and commercial lives and occupations and business and get our economy and just our world back up and running as soon as possible,” he said, “but we are just not there yet.”

He warned that until there is an effective vaccine “intermittent social distancing may be necessary for at least two years or possibly longer.”

Kim Williams, CEO of Providence Health and chair of the new county Future Workforce Alliance, said the group is working on “concrete plans to get people back to work; and that it will be a phased, gradual approach.”

Providence is the county’s second largest employer. She was asked whether Boeing, which just restarted Everett production lines, had been in contact with the task force. Not yet, she said, and Dr. Spitters echoed that. But, Somers said he talks with Boeing daily.

All three said the key now is to make sure the county’s actions don’t trigger a resurgence of the virus. “Our goal,” stated Spitters,“is to suppress the virus and delay the next outbreak.”  Current forecasts show that next outbreak could come as early as late summer and last into the fall.

— By Bob Throndsen