7/22: Wednesday Briefing

By rebecca No comments

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No new interview today, but Becky embarrassingly blanks on basic baseball knowledge and also runs through the list of schools who’ve announced a 100% remote learning start to the school year.

STATE

  • Washington is now one of the states on the mandatory quarantine list for travelers to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
    • Washingtonians headed to the east coast tristate region are required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.
    • Individuals who leave airports without filling out a form for tracking travelers are subject to a $2,000 fine, and may face a court-ordered quarantine.
    • Hotel clerks or business partners are able to report violations, and police officers who pull over out-of-state individuals for traffic infractions may enforce quarantine rules.

SCHOOL UPDATES

  • The Auburn, Bellevue, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Northshore, and Renton school districts all have confirmed that the school year will begin with remote learning.
    • Seattle schools are planning to begin with remote learning as well but must wait for a school board meeting to make it official.
    • Edmonds, North Thurston, Franklin Pierce, and Puyallup schools all plan on a hybrid start to the school year with some face to face and some remote learning.
    • Tacoma Public Schools broadcast a virtual, public, open school board meeting tomorrow, July 23rd at at 6pm at TacomaSchools.org/watchlive.
  • The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has announced a modified high school sports calendar for the upcoming school year that pushes football, soccer, and volleyball to the early spring of 2021.
    • Sports that may begin on September 7th include cross country, slowpitch softball, golf, and tennis, with girls swimming and diving possible depending on health department information.
    • However, if certain health benchmarks aren’t met by July 28th, all fall high school sports will be moved to early spring.
    • Winter sports are still scheduled to begin in late December or early January, and these include Basketball, Bowling, Boys Swim & Dive, Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and Wrestling.
    • Traditional Spring sports of tennis, fastpitch, baseball, track & field, dance, and drill are slated for late spring, 2021.

PIERCE COUNTY

  • The deadline for online voter registration in advance of this August’s primary is Monday, July 27.

REGIONAL

  • Major League Baseball’s 60-game abbreviated season starts this week.
    • The Mariners will play against the Astros at Houston starting at 6:10 p.m. on Friday
    • The team’s home opener will be against Oakland on July 31st.
    • No fans are permitted inside stadiums to decrease the likelihood of coronavirus spread.
    • More info at MLB.com.
  • Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region has developed a Digital Work Opportunity Center (DWOC) in response to the COVID-19 crisis to provide job seekers with access to Goodwill’s free job training programs and career pathway services through an online learning portal.
    • Information on classes and how to register is available at goodwillwa.org or by calling (253) 573-6750.
  • King County has purchased 25 million cloth and disposable masks for distribution to residents and workers in the county.
    • Businesses interested in assisting with distribution should follow links at kingcounty.gov/masks or call
    • Child care providers should call 1-800-446-1114.
    • Burien residents may pick up masks at City Hall on July 23, 4–6 p.m., July 30, 1–3 p.m., and August 6, 4–6 p.m.
    • Milton residents can pick up masks Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon-1 at Milton City Hall
    • Auburn residents can call 253-876-1925, or visit AuburnWa.gov. Auburn will also distribute masks through school lunch program, food banks, farmers markets, and public-facing counters at city facilities, and police officers will carry supplies in cars and distribute if they see anyone not wearing one.
    • Federal Way residents can call 253-835-2712.
    • Residents of unincorporated King County can email asklocalservices@kingcounty.gov

TACOMA

  • The City of Tacoma is offering a workshop for residents called “Budget in the Time of COVID-19” to advise on how the city’s funds should be prioritized in light of a projected $67 million deficit for 2021-2022.
    • Participants will use an interactive tool to indicate what resources and services are important to them .
    • The workshop is tomorrow, Thursday, July 23rd, 6-7:30 PM via Zoom.
    • You can find the log-in information and call-in numbers on the city’s Facebook page under events
    • Anyone can try out the budget tool online at tacomawa.abalancingact.com, or fill out surveys for resident priorities at cityoftacoma.org/budgetdevelopment.
  • All Metro Parks Tacoma parking lots, park gates, restrooms, playgrounds and trails are now open to the public.
    • Phase 2 social distancing and face covering guidelines must be followed at all times.
    • Communal outdoor recreation is allowed when it involves 5 or fewer people from outside your household.
    • Registration is still open for Metro Parks children’s summer day camps.
    • More info is available at MetroParksTacoma.org.
  • The Tacoma Opera has cancelled their 2020 – 2021 season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • The organization hopes to continue to bring opera to the community in different ways during their suspended season. More info available at tacomaopera.com

TESTING SITES

  • There are numerous free testing sites in our region:
  • For Pierce County locations, visit TPCHD.org/covidtest.
  • The rest of this week, pop-up testing events include:
    • Thursday, July 23, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Graham Fire Station 91 at 10012 187th Street East
    • Also on Thursday, July 23, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Child & Family Hope Center, 2102 S. 23rd St Tacoma 98405
  • Patients can also call their health providers for tests.
  • Some of the testing sites offer rapid test results, while others have a longer turnaround time of several days.
    • The Health Department reports that around 20% of Covid tests in Washington state are being delayed because of national shortages of lab supplies, like chemicals and plastic vials and pipette tips.
    • The department advises those needing fast results call testing sites to see if in-state labs are doing the analysis, since in-state labs are seeming to have more rapid turnaround times than large out-of-state labs.