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For the past several months, our region has been facing several crises unlike anything we have ever seen before. As our City works to respond to continued calls to reimagine policing and community safety, dismantle institutional racism, and invest in true community health and opportunity, we must remember that we are still in the middle of an unprecedented global public health crisis.
Today the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report, and said that COVID-19 is on a path to runaway growth.
King County and Seattle have seen a skyrocketing number of COVID-19 cases, led primarily by cases among younger adults. We are also now seeing increased hospitalizations.
Now, each of us need to do our part to protect one another and each of us must step up if we want to save lives and protect our hospital systems from being overwhelmed like we?re seeing in far too many states. The cost of our inaction will be
Changing our behavior will make a difference.
- Wear a face covering. Wearing a face covering shows you care about the people around you. Face coverings limit the transmission of droplets that could spread COVID-19.
- Practice physical distancing of at least six feet or more.
- Wash your hands.
- Limit social gatherings to 5 or fewer people from outside your home per week. We?ve seen an increase of cases because of picnics, celebrations, and parties.
- Stay home is you have underlying health conditions or are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
- Get tested.
 When Seattle and King County committed to these actions, we saw a dramatic decrease in cases.
We?re living in an uncertain time. This virus isn?t taking the summer off, and neither can we. We must all recommit to the recommendations issued by the Governor, Public Health ? Seattle & King County and the Washington Department of Health to help slow down this virus and limit its spread among our most vulnerable communities.
Our testing sites are now testing thousands of individuals each day, and have tested nearly 57,000 people since opening in June. Testing at these City of Seattle sites is free, so if are concerned that you might have COVID-19, or are experiencing symptoms, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/covid-19/covid-19-testing to get tested.
Without a vaccine, our behavior and testing are the most important factors to limiting COVID-19.
States across the country are rolling back their reopening plans as the number of COVID-19 infections rise in their communities. If we do not recommit to good public health practices, we risk pushing Seattle ? or all of Washington State ? back into Stay Home, Stay Healthy.
As always, please continue to write me at [email protected], reach out via Twitter and Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we?re doing for the people of Seattle on my blog.?
Stay Safe and Healthy,
 
 For weeks, the City has been doing extensive outreach and education with our businesses on public health guidance. While the vast majority are complying with facial coverings and capacity restrictions and have made changes following outreach efforts, the City is prepared to take additional enforcement action against businesses that are egregiously and repeatedly violating state law and public health guidance.?
With repeated and/or egregious offenses, businesses may have their City of Seattle business license suspended and may be charged with a crime that carries a maximum penalty of up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. Individuals or employees who are concerned that businesses are not enforcing the face coverings mandate, practicing social distancing or adhering to occupancy limits, and other measures identified in the statewide order can use the Find It, Fix It app or online form or call 206-684-2489 (CITY) to report their concerns. Businesses can also learn more by visiting the FAS website.?
The City previously launched Phase 2 reopening toolkits to help small businesses authorized to reopen under the Governor?s guidance navigate public health requirements and financial considerations. The toolkits provide critical information for small business owners, including a reopening checklist, resources to access Personal Protective Equipment and financial assistance, testing information, and rent and commercial lease assistance. The City has toolkits for the following industries:??
The toolkits are available on the City?s new reopening website and are translated into Amharic, Chinese, Korean, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.??
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best have been conducting a thorough review of the Seattle Police Department?s (SPD) budget and the impacts budget reductions would have on services to the residents and businesses of Seattle. On June 18, the Mayor and Chief asked SPD leadership and the City Budget Office to comprehensively analyze the department?s current services. Based off that analysis, the Mayor and Chief today announced early actions to transfer programs and functions currently within SPD out of the department and identified some preliminary reductions to the 2021 budget.
In total, these early steps would lead to a $76 million reduction in SPD?s budget for 2021. Further analysis and community engagement will be done in the coming weeks to reshape the SPD budget moving forward. The 2021 budget will be transmitted to City Council in approximately September 2020. The Mayor and the Chief will oppose any cuts by City Council that would compromise SPD?s ability to provide service and safety to the residents and businesses of Seattle.
Understanding state and federal investments will be an essential resource to repair or replace the West Seattle Bridge, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan signed a?proclamation of civil emergency?regarding the closure of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge and follow-on impacts, and signed an?additional emergency order?requesting state and federal assistance. The emergency proclamation signed by Mayor Durkan today is the first brought forward and put into effect by a Mayor of Seattle in response to a critical piece of infrastructure.??
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today?transmitted legislation?for a Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) proposal to generate between $20 and $30 million annually for transit over the next six years. If approved by the City Council, the STBD would go before Seattle voters this November, and would support access to frequent?and reliable?transit service after current funding sources expire at the end of 2020.?The STBD proposal ensures the critical elements and bus routes of Seattle?s transit network are maintained, equitable access to transit continues to be prioritized, and allows the City to scale up service as Seattle?s transit ridership recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.???
Read more
 C40 Cities released the C40 Mayors? Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery outlining bold steps to deliver an equitable and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The agenda includes specific measures, already being delivered in many cities around the world, which must become the ?new normal? to contain and better prepare for future pandemics, address systemic injustices and keep global heating below the 1.5?C goal of the Paris Agreement.
Amongst the measures championed by mayors today include green job creation programmes; increased rights and support for all workers whose efforts have proved essential during the COVID-19 crisis; investments in green industries such as guaranteed access to resilient public services, particularly for the most vulnerable; building retrofit programmes; investing in safe and reliable mass transit; and new protected spaces for pedestrians and cyclists.
 This week, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported on federal law enforcement in Portland using unmarked vehicles to grab protesters off the streets.?The story reads that "[t]he tactic appears to be another escalation in federal force deployed on Portland city streets, as federal officials and President Donald Trump have said they plan to ?quell? nightly protests outside the federal courthouse and Multnomah County Justice Center that have lasted for more than six weeks."
Just last week, Mayor Durkan responded to threats by the Trump administration to send federal troops into Seattle:
On?Sean Hannity?s show on Thursday night, President Trump made a startling claim: He said that the mayor of Seattle acted to close down the protests in her city only because she had been privately warned that if she didn?t, Trump would act himself.
But in an interview with us, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan flatly denied that any conversation like this with Trump ? or anyone around him ? ever took place.
?It just never happened,? Durkan told us. ?I don?t know what world he?s living in.?
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