Closure of Seattle's largest parks intended to reduce gathering and keep communities safe



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We have long,dark, rainywinters in Seattle. Itiswhat makesthe weather ofspring andsummer one of the thingsto whichwemostlook forwardeveryyear;but this year is different. We are in one of the most unprecedented times in our regions history.The choices every one ofusmakesinfluenceshow healthy we stay as a community and how quickly we can open businesses back up again.

Right now,Seattle needs you to stay home.Weeks into the Governors Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, I know its hard.But our efforts are having an impact.Ourquickcollective actions have dramaticallyflattened the curve tostop the exponential riseof cases, hospitalizations,and deaths that weve seen in other parts of the country like New York City and New Orleans.This virus is voracious. Researchers believe that the majority of cases in our region came from*a single transmission*in January. We were blind to the fact that community spreadoccurredbecause we lacked sufficient testing. We still lackwidescaletesting,and the virus is still present in the community. Every day brings additional positive tests, hospitalizations,and deaths.

Because werestillnear the peak ofthe virus,letting up or becoming complacent nowcould reverse the progress weve made. Greater spread and a spike in infectionsanddeathscould happen quickly.Easing up on social distancing too early will put more people at risk, could overwhelm our health care system, and could delay the reopening of businesses. We have worked too hard, and too many people have sacrificed their jobs and personal safety to do that.

Our current projections are built on the assumption that people will continue in our state to follow physical distancing in their lives.This graph by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluationhighlightshow our actions could lead to more deaths if we stop social distancing measures to soon.Read more about why GovernorInsleeand I arecontinuingto urge residents to stay home [ [link removed] ].

Chart showing projected COVID-19 cases based on end date of social distancing.

In recent days, we have seen increased gatherings in our largest parks.Despite warnings fromSPD and Seattle Parks Ambassadors, too many friends, extended families and neighbors were gathering for soccer,volleyball,basketball, BBQs, picnics, and group walks without proper social distancing.As parks and common areas became more crowded, social distancing could not be maintained.Many of our parks personnel have been redeployed to help open childcare at community centers or staff new 24/7 shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness at our community centers. Others have been redeployed as Parks Ambassadors to remind individuals to social distance and ensure signage remains at playgrounds, parks, and sports fields, but we do not have the workforce to simply deploy staffaroundthe clock at our parks to ensure socialdistancing.

Its whyafter consulting with a range of departments and looking at what was happening, I decidedtoclose our 15 largest parks and beachesfor this weekend, which cities across the country are doing.While these are weekend closures only,Seattle Parks and Recreation and SDOT will continue to evaluate closing streets or additional steps at parks to allow for more social distancing, especially as we will likely want to continue methods of social distancing after we emerge from under the Governors Stay Home, Stay Healthy order. But it is important to remember that the priority is to stay home, and only leave when essential.Ultimately, we need everyone in the Cityto do their partincluding choosing towalkin their neighborhood tovisit theCitys479 neighborhood parks [ [link removed] ].

We will be looking for new and better ways to provide relief to every business and resident, including whether and how we can improve access to our open spaces in the age of social distancing.Our city workforce and frontline employees face the same challenges we all do: kids at home, senior parents, illness or are at high risk for COVID-19; however, our first responders and city personnel are working around the clock to support both our COVID-19publichealth responseandprovide emergencyrelief to familiesinneed. They are also critical in providingtheessentialservicesour residents and businessescontinue to rely on including public safety,solid waste collection,water, power, and public works projects.There are also emerging issues of significance, like the closure and assessment of the West Seattle Bridge.

I cant thank Seattle enough for their efforts. Its truly saving lives.This week, the Washington Post highlightedour regions collective actions.I hope youll readthat storyhere [ [link removed] ].

Again, please stay home, and if you must leave your home, be smart, follow social distancing guidelines by stay at leastsix feet from everyone and wear aclothmask. Our collective effort has made an impact flattening the curve, but we must continue or face even greater andlonger-termconsequences. Our collective fate is in every individuals actions.

Seattles frontline medical workers, vulnerable residents, and displaced workersare counting on us.

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Resources for Small Businesses and Workers

Yesterday, Mayor Durkan joined with King County Executive Constantine and United Way to announced an expanded rental assistance program. Thanks to generous donations to the Community Relief Fund and a variety of community partners, one month of rental assistance is being offered to people in King County struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus. If youre a King County resident who has been impacted financially by COVID-19 and are behind on your rent, you may qualify for assistance. If you meet these requirements, please fill out the online application at www.uwkc.org/renthelp [ [link removed] ]

Please continue to visit our COVID-19 resources page [ [link removed] ] for information for City of Seattle, King County, Washington State, federal, and community programs and services that help residents significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.Some of these programs and services are available to everyone regardless of where you live.We will continue updating this page as more resources develop.

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City of Seattle Closes Major Parks for the Weekend

This week, the City announced the full closure of major regional parks this weekend where social distancing guidelines have not been followed by patrons. Other major cities like Austin and Los Angeles are also closing major parks for the weekend. The change is effective Friday, April 10th at 11pm and parks will reopen on Monday, April 13th at 4:30 am.

Closing these parks temporarily will help ensure more people are keeping the distancing they need to from other people. While our neighborhood parks will remain open, the city will consider closing them or making temporary closures longer term if visitors cant follow safety guidelines.

Parks closed for the weekend include: Green Lake, Lincoln, Golden Gardens, Seward Park, Magnuson Park, Gas Works, Alki Beach, and Discovery, as well as Cal Anderson, Carkeek, Woodland Park, Volunteer Park, Kubota Garden, West Seattle Stadium, and the Washington Park Arboretum. Stan Sayres, Magnuson, Don Armeni, and Atlantic St boat launches are also closed, and Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area and Rattlesnake Ledge Trail will remain closed.

SPR and SPD will deploy staff to encourage social distancing at these highly frequented parks.

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CenturyLink Field Hospital Redeployed to Help Other States With Greater Need

On Wednesday, April 8, Governor Inslee announced the redeployment of the field hospital slated to be operational at CenturyLink Field. It will be returned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency so it can be deployed to another state facing a more significant need. Mayor Durkan issues the following statement on the announcement:

In early March, Seattle and Washington were at a pivotal moment. As a community, we took unprecedented steps together. The actions that everyday residents and businesses have taken have slowed the spread, and most importantly, we have not overwhelmed our health care system. Our region is lucky to be home to some of the foremost minds in public health, and to be home to internationally recognized hospitals and research hubs. The rest of the country didnt have our researchers, scientists and public health officials setting off warning bells when the first cases arose. We have seen the devastating consequences in cities like New York City and New Orleans.

Understanding that our hospitals in our region have capacity including ICU beds and ventilators, Governor Inslee, Major General Daugherty and Admiral Bono [can also change this to we] are making the right decision to allow other cities to have these resources and capacity. While Seattle fought hard for these resources, its clear other communities hospitals are in desperate need of this high-quality medical facility and personnel. This virus knows no borders, and we must care for the sick and vulnerable, regardless of any city, county, or state line.

While these resources are going to a community in more dire need, the virus is still here. Its continuing to spread all across the state, including to our most vulnerable, seniors, essential workers, first responders, and individuals with chronic health conditions. And if we take this moment to gather in parks, host BBQs, or ignore the Governors Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, we will be putting our community at risk of an exponential increase.

Until we have widespread testing and have the resources to monitor confirmed cases, we cannot resume normalcy. I will continue to fight for more federal resources including testing, personal protection equipment, and mass sheltering for our most vulnerable. This is a marathon, not a sprint. However, we will get through this if we continue to look out for one anothers health and wellbeing.

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Updates to COVID-19 Response

Over the last month, the City has worked independently and in partnership with the County and State to fight the spread of COVID-19 and to bring much needed relief to the region during this critical time. Below are highlights on the work the City did this week and updates on previous announcements.


* *Emergency Childcare*: To help families on the frontlines, the Mayor signed an emergency order in March to stand up childcare healthcare workers [ [link removed] ], first responders, grocery workers or pharmacy workers. Currently, the City is helping operate 27 classrooms throughout the City and 120 kids have been enrolled. Thanks to emergency childcare, frontline workers like Venus Pacheco [ [link removed] ], who are helping out community get through this, can have some ease of mind. Essential employees in the listed industries are encouraged to visit the City of Seattle Emergency Child Care website [ [link removed] ] and fill out an interest form to apply for childcare.
* *Distribution of Personal Protective Equipment*: In March, the Mayor announced a call-to-action for community stakeholders to donated whatever masks and protective gear they might have to so it could be redistributed to those on the frontlines of the pandemic response. Since the launch, in large thanks to the generosity of so many organizations and individuals, the City has been able to collect 49,700 masks, 14,500 Eyewear and face shields, and 58,100 Gloves [ [link removed] ]. Yesterday, the City announced it would distributed those items to workers helping test at-risk populations, those working at long-term care facilities, and those at shelters for the individuals experiencing homelessness.
* *Expansion of Hygiene Services*: In addition to the creation of new 24/7 shelters with access to hygiene services and places for individuals experiencing homelessness to stay who have and are recovering from COVID-19, this week the City of Seattle announced the continued expansion of hygiene services [ [link removed] ] for people experiencing homelessness. Eight new hygiene stations will be deployed and two hygiene trailers will be positioned in areas where individuals experiencing homelessness can be best served.



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*Phone: 206-684-4000*

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