Dear Friends:

Today’s update includes resources for small business owners, individuals who need health care, immigrants and refugees, as well a new paraprosdokian. As of April 1st at 11:59 p.m. Seattle – King County Public Health was reporting 2,656 confirmed positive cases in King County, as well as 175 deaths.

Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order Extended to May 4th

Governor Inslee announced at yesterday’s press conference that the stay-at-home order is being extended to May 4. He said he is confident in the steps we have already taken, but we “cannot lose steam in this fight.” There are no new restrictions in the extension of the order. For more information on the order and how it could impact you, go to coronavirus.wa.gov.




Small Business Resources

We continue to receive information about resources to help small businesses during this time of economic uncertainty. These new resources include coronavirus tax relief, business loans through Business Impact Northwest and through the Small Business Administration, assistance and support through several state agencies and much more. Our staff continues to gather those resources at the www.kingcounty.gov/council/gethelp site.

Washington State Health Plan Special Enrollment Extended

A special enrollment period is now available through April 8, 2020 to qualified individuals who lose their employer-provided health insurance. Those who are currently uninsured should contact a Navigator for help filling out an application and selecting a plan. More information on enrollment can be found here. Contact information for Navigators across the state can be found here.

COVID-19 Resources for Immigrants and Refugees

One America have compiled a list of resources in Washington State (some in multiple languages) to ensure everyone in our communities is able to receive the care and necessities they need. You can access these resources here or on the council’s www.kingcounty.gov/council/gethelp site.

COVID-19 Revised Cell Center Numbers

Public Health has released revised COVID-19 call center numbers. Please see below.

• Medical questions related to COVID-19? Contact the call center between 8:00 AM to7 PM PST at 206-477-3977.

• Non-medical questions about COVID-19 including compliance and business related issues? Contact the King County COVID-19 Business and Community Information Line (Monday – Friday) 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM at 206-296-1608.

• General questions about COVID-19 in Washington State? Contact the Washington State Novel Coronavirus Call Center at 800-525-0127. The Washington211 system is available to handle calls for the Washington State COVID-19 hotline (1-800-525-0127).


Real Time Global COVID-19 Data: Check This Out

If you haven’t already, you can check out www.ncov2019.live/data, which tracks the total number of COVID-19 cases by country, including confirmed cases, daily changes, confirmed deaths, and recoveries. The website is designed and managed by a 17-year-old high school student from King County named Avi Schiffmann.

Please note, the website pulls data from public health websites around the world every minute, but not every country reports the data uniformly.

Paraprosdokians are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected, usually in a humorous way. In fact, Sir Winston Churchill loved them. I am including some of these figures of speech in my updates, so we can all keep our minds sharp, and hopefully find some humor as well.

Stay In. Stay Healthy. Stay Strong.

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember