Inslee expands closures statewide, virus deaths reach 37
Martha Bellisle | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 8 months AGO
Gov. Jay Inslee, left, is joined by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal as he discusses the expansion of school closures and prohibition of large gatherings across all of Washington in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Friday, March 13, 2020. Inslee says he issued the executive orders because the virus is spreading rapidly across the state. Previously, school closures and prohibitions of large gatherings had only been ordered in the three counties with the highest numbers of cases. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee talks to the media about his decision to expand school closures and prohibition of large gatherings across all of Washington in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Friday, March 13, 2020. Inslee issued the executive orders, saying the virus is spreading rapidly across the state. Previously, school closures and prohibitions of large gatherings had only been ordered in the three counties with the highest numbers of cases. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/R…
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, left, is joined by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal as he discusses the expansion of school closures and prohibition of large gatherings across all of Washington in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Friday, March 13, 2020. Inslee issued the executive orders, saying the virus is spreading rapidly across the state. Previously, school closures and prohibitions of large gatherings had only been ordered in the three counties with the highest numbers of cases. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
Gov. Jay Inslee walks to a podium to announce the expansion of school closures and prohibition of large gatherings across all of Washington in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Friday, March 13, 2020. Inslee issued the executive orders, saying the virus is spreading rapidly across the state. Previously, school closures and prohibitions of large gatherings had only been ordered in the three counties with the highest numbers of cases. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks to the media after the Legislature adjourned its 60-day session, Thursday, March 12, 2020, in Olympia, Wash. State lawmakers passed a supplemental budget with funding for the state's response to COVID-19. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
Aida Cruz, left, and Jose Chavez, take photos at the Space Needle, Friday, March 13, 2020, in Seattle. The two were visiting from San Antonio, Texas and had planned to take the elevator up the Needle for a view of the city, but they discovered that the iconic landmark and tourist attraction had closed Friday and will remain so through the end of March due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Washington state. The vast majority of people recover from the new coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, most people recover in about two to six weeks, depending on the sever…
A sign informs visitors that Space Needle is closed, Friday, March 13, 2020, in Seattle. The iconic landmark and tourist attraction closed Friday and will remain so through the end of March due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Washington state. The vast majority of people recover from the new coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, most people recover in about two to six weeks, depending on the severity of the illness. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee talks to the media about the decision to close schools in three counties in response to COVID-19, on Thursday, March 12, 2020, in Olympia, Wash. All public and private K-12 schools in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties will be closed for six weeks, and Inslee said there could be closures in more counties soon. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, right, talks to the media about the decision to close all schools in the state in response to COVID-19, as Gov. Jay Inslee looks on, Friday, March 13, 2020, in Olympia, Wash. Inslee issued an executive order expanding the closures from three counties to all 39, saying the virus is spreading rapidly across the state. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
Workers from a Servpro disaster recovery team wearing protective suits and respirators enter the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., to begin cleaning and disinfecting the facility, Wednesday, March 11, 2020, near Seattle. The nursing home is at the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Washington state. For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
A U.S. Public Health Services worker carries boxes of supplies to a back entrance of the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., Monday, March 9, 2020, near Seattle. The nursing home is at the center of the outbreak of the new coronavirus in Washington state. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
SEATTLE (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday expanded school closures and prohibited large gatherings across all of Washington in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus while health officials reported at least six new deaths and more than 560 positive tests.
"I don't take these decisions lightly,” Inslee said at a news conference. “We're doing this for the health of all Washingtonians.”
King County health officials reported five new COVID-19 deaths Friday afternoon and Snohomish County added one new death to their tally, bringing the state total to 37.
As of Friday, more than 6,000 people have been tested and 568 were positive in 19 counties, Dr. Kathy Lofy, state health officer, told The Associated Press. Even with thousands of tests being done, Lofy said it's not enough.
“We should be doing more testing in Washington,” Lofy said. “We're doing everything we can to increase testing capacity.”
While more test kits are becoming available for the labs, she said they're starting to run short on some of the materials to take the samples from people, including the swabs and the liquid the swabs go in.
Inslee said the virus is spreading rapidly across the state so he issued an executive order to close all K-12 public and private schools from March 17 to April 24. He had previously closed schools in the three counties with the highest numbers of cases: King, Pierce and Snohomish. Online learning would continue at colleges and universities, he said.
Inslee also expanded the order to prohibit gatherings and events of more than 250 people to cover the entire state.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on Friday evening said she would issue an emergency order for a temporary moratorium on residential evictions in the city.
“With the President’s national emergency declaration, I will be taking additional actions in the coming days focused on more relief for our workers and individuals hardest hit by this emergency, including a moratorium on residential evictions," she said in a news release. “We cannot let individuals lose their homes or go hungry at this critical time.”
Most positive coronavirus tests in the state have been in people over the age of 80. The smallest age group, 2%, is children under the age of 19. Pierce County reported a boy under 10 and another just over 10 were positive for the virus.
Testing is available through four labs in Washington state and the turn-around time was 24 to 48 hours, officials said. The public health lab had the capacity to test 300 people per day. The University of Washington could handle 2,200 tests a day with a 24-hour turn-around.
Two private companies, LabCorp and Quest, were also conducting test. Quest could do about 1,250 per day while LabCorp could handle several hundred and were working to expand their capacity to thousands per day.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover within a few weeks.
The Department of Corrections said Friday a staffer at Monroe Correctional Complex had tested positive.
As of Friday, Idaho reported its first confirmed case while the governor declared a state of emergency. Oregon reported at least 30.
State health officials have put in two requests with the federal government for medical supplies to support health care workers. To date, the government has filled both requests.
Washington has received 595,940 N-95 respirators; 508,206 surgical masks; 63,688 face shields; 97,850 surgical gowns; and 240,376 gloves, according to the governor's office.
Officials said the health department is “committed to continue partnering with the federal government in the days and weeks ahead” to secure additional personal protective equipment. They also are exploring alternative sources.
King County has the highest death rate, 32, with 25 of those fatalities at the Life Care Center in Kirkland. Other nursing homes in the county also reported deaths. Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Redmond Care and Rehab and Ida Culver House lost residents to the disease.
Most of the people who died were in their 70s through 90s. One man in his 40s and two others in their 50s and two in their 60s died from COVID-19.
Three of the five new deaths in King County were residents at the Life Care Center, another was a man in his 70s who died at Overlake Medical Center and the fifth was a man in his 80s who died at Swedish Issaquah.
At least 10 long-term care facilities in the Seattle area have reported positive cases.
King County opened an isolation site at a motel in the Seattle suburb of Kent. Authorities said a homeless person awaiting COVID-19 test results voluntarily checked in, but disregarded instructions and left Friday morning. On Friday evening, that person's test results came back negative, county officials said. Another person tested negative and left the motel. The county said people can only be placed at special quarantine sites at Kent in Washington after public health officials determine they must be isolated.