Coronavirus updates: Disaster aid available to all Washington state small businesses
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Monday, March 23.
Updated at 3:30 p.m.
All state ferries will remain operating on their winter sailing schedules through at least April 25, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced Monday. Washington State Ferries’ spring season, which includes increased service on some routes, was originally scheduled to begin March 29.
The following service additions that were set to begin with the start of the spring sailing schedule will not occur:
▪ Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: Third vessel added on weekend schedule
▪ Anacortes/San Juan Islands: Interisland weekend service and addition of couple of afternoon sailings
▪ Anacortes/Friday Harbor/Sidney, British Columbia: Start of one round trip to Canada daily (suspended until at least April 26)
Previously made vehicle reservations for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route from March 29 through April 25 will be canceled and no new spring schedule reservations will be allowed after April 25.
Customers will be notified through ferry alerts when reservations will be made available on sailings during the winter schedule extension. No-show fees for vehicle reservations are waived until further notice.
Washington state cases up to 2,221
Updated at 3:20 p.m.
Washington state on Monday was up to 2,221 confirmed coronavirus cases with 110 deaths. The total number of cases increased by 225 from Sunday with 15 additional deaths.
King County continues to be the hardest hit with 1,170 cases reported as of Monday — a jump of 160 cases since Saturday — and 87 deaths. Snohomish County has the second-most cases in the state with 519 cases and 11 deaths.
Pierce County has 126 cases and one death.
There are 117 cases on the Washington Department of Health website that have not been assigned a county.
Gov. Jay Inslee scheduled televised speech
Updated at 1:10 p.m.
Gov. Jay Inslee has scheduled a televised speech at 5:30 p.m. about the novel coronavirus outbreak, three days after saying he would consider signing a stay-at-home order to ensure that people practice social distancing.
The governor’s office said Inslee would “lay out enhanced strategies to mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Television stations and digital news sites around the state are expected to carry the speech. Inslee’s move comes as several governors have signed proclamations that prohibit workers from reporting to work unless they perform essential services
UW Medicine launches website
Updated at 12:40 p.m.
UW Medicine has set up a website where individuals can make cash or in-kind donations and leave messages of support for healthcare workers.
UW Medicine is now collecting in-kind donations for items specifically needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, provide care for patients and ensure the health and well-being of its frontline medical teams. In-kind donations can be shipped or dropped off to the designated receiving site (4515 25th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105) Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The website provides additional information along with a form to start an in-kind gift. All in-kind donations must be made through the drop-off center rather than individual hospitals and clinics. You can also email covidgifts@uw.edu if you have any questions.
UW Medicine accepts the following list of items in unopened and original packaging: Disposable face masks (all types, including N-95 respirators), clear face shields, clear safety/medical glasses or goggles, Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) Systems, exam and surgical gloves, isolation gowns, disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer.
In the past week, online donations to the UW Medicine Emergency Response Fund have exceeded $250,000.
QFC, Tuttta Bella offer food on the go
Updated at 12:40 p.m.
Quality Food Centers (QFC) and Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria jointly announced on Monay an expansion of their existing partnership and is now offering Tutta Bella’s Grab-n-Go food options in 31 total QFC locations across the greater Puget Sound-area.
The partnership will increase the total number of Grab-n-Go locations from five to a total of 31 over a four-week rollout period. Tutta Bella’s Grab-n-Go options include a lineup of the brand’s most popular signature salads, homemade ready-to-heat entrees and their awarding-winning tiramisu dessert. The food is made fresh and delivered from one of Tutta Bella’s restaurant locations.
GRAB-N-GO LOCATIONS (rollout date)
▪ Existing: Kirkland Urban, Factoria Mall, Downtown Bellevue 8th St., Harvard Market, Broadway Market
▪ Phase 1 (Monday, Mar. 23): Uptown, Capitol Hill, Northtown Bellevue, North Mercer Island, U-Village, Bellevue East
▪ Phase 2 (Monday, Mar. 30): Edmonds, West Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Canyon Park, Bella Bottega
▪ Phase 3 (Wednesday, Apr. 1): Redmond, Totem Lake, Northgate, Ballard, Holman Road
▪ Phase 4 (Monday Apr. 6): Interbay, Rainier, West Seattle, South Mercer Island, Coal Creek
▪ Phase 5 (Wednesday, Apr. 8): Westwood Village, Renton, Issaquah, Pine Lake, Klahanie
Capital Mall in west Olympia to close
Updated at 11:10 a.m.
Capital Mall in west Olympia will close after 7 p.m. Monday and reopen April 6, the mall announced. The decision to close was done in the interest of public health because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’re trying to be cautious, and it got to the point that it made sense to close the common areas instead of leaving it open,” mall general manager Kevin Johnston said.
Although the mall will close, some businesses with exterior entrances might still be open, or are offering curbside pickup, he said.
For example, Total Wine & More is still open and Chipotle Mexican Grill is offering curbside pickup, Johnston said. There also are restaurants on mall property, such as Olive Garden, Applebee’s and i.talia Pizzeria, that are offering food to go, he said.
Domino’s locations looking to hire about 1,000 new team members
Updated at 11:05 a.m.
Domino’s locations are looking to hire about 1,000 new team members across more than 100 stores throughout the Greater Seattle area. The positions include delivery drivers, customer service representatives, assistant managers and managers.
Domino’s stores throughout the U.S. provide a contactless delivery option to customers while also offering carry out.
“While many local, state, and federal rules are closing dine-in restaurants, the opportunity to feed our neighbors through delivery and carryout continues,” Mike Brown, a Seattle-area Domino’s franchise owner, said in a release. “We want to make sure we’re not only providing food to people, but also delivering opportunity to those who are looking for work.”
Those who are interested in applying for a position should visit jobs.dominos.com.
Boeing announces temporary suspension of production operations
Updated at 10:10 a.m.
Boeing announced a temporary suspension of production operations at its Puget Sound area facilities in light of the state of emergency in Washington state and the spread of the coronavirus in the region.
Boeing plans to begin reducing production activity on Monday and projects the suspension of such operations to begin on Wednesday, March 25. The suspension will last 14 days, during which Boeing will continue to monitor government guidance and actions on COVID-19.
During this time, Boeing will conduct additional deep cleaning activities at impacted sites and establish rigorous criteria for return to work.
Disaster aid now available to all Washington state small businesses
Updated at 8 a.m.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has amended its original disaster declaration to apply to all Washington small businesses, regardless of county, the Washington State Department of Commerce announced Sunday.
Low-interest loans for working capital are now available to any small businesses suffering economic fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak. SBA customer service representatives are available to answer questions about the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and explain the application process.
Small businesses, private non-profit organizations of any size, small agricultural cooperatives and small aquaculture enterprises that have been financially impacted as a direct result of the COVID-19 since Jan. 31 may qualify for economic injury disaster loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses, which could have been met had the disaster not occurred.
Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Eligibility for economic injury disaster loans is based on the financial impact of the COVID-19. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses and 2.75% for private non-profit organizations.
SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years and are available to entities without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship.
Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.
Inslee names retired Navy Vice Admiral head of state health care response team
Updated at 8 a.m.
Gov. Jay Inslee has named retired Navy Vice Admiral Raquel C. Bono the Washington state director for COVID-19 Health System Response Management. She is the first woman surgeon in the military to hold the rank of vice admiral, and the appointment is effective immediately.
Currently a senior fellow with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Bono is the former chief executive officer and director for the Defense Heath Agency. While there, she led a joint, integrated support agency that enables all branches of the U.S. military medical services to provide heath care to those in combat.
Bono will advise on actions needed to address the strain across the health care system. She will work with acute care facilities, long-term care facilities, clinics, tribal facilities, and the federal government to assess and address the greatest needs. She will work to ensure medical staffing needs are met while also developing standard protocols across facilities and coordinate with the state Emergency Operations Center to operationalize statewide efforts.
“Vice Admiral Bono will help bolster our existing coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic across our state’s health care system,” Inslee said in a statement. “She brings an impressive medical background, a long and distinguished military career and a deep understanding of complex medical delivery systems. Her expertise will help us ensure that we can meet the needs of Washingtonians who are sick, or will become ill from COVID-19.”
Navy hospital ship to L.A. as Trump activates National Guard in California, Washington, New York
Updated at 8 a.m.
The U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy will go to Los Angeles to help California deal with a critical shortage of hospital beds due to coronavirus patients, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday.
He also announced that he had activated the National Guard in California, Washington state and New York under an arrangement that puts governors of each state in control of those forces, but all the costs will be paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Medical equipment and supplies including respirators, surgical masks and gowns, face shields, coveralls and gloves were on the way, he said. Disaster declarations were approved for California, Washington and New York, making federal funding available for emergency measures.
While Washington state has more COVID-19 cases, the need for hospital beds was greater in California, FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor said.
“While I am very disappointed the USNS Mercy is not coming to WA, I appreciate that federal field hospitals are on the way to help with increased medical needs,” Inslee said in a tweeted statement. “My staff and I will keep working until we have the resources necessary to care for all Washingtonians.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 8:03 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: Disaster aid available to all Washington state small businesses."
