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This week, Governor Jay Inslee and public health officials made the difficult decision to extend statewide restrictions on social gatherings and businesses through January 4, 2021.
Today, Seattle surpassed 13,000 cases. On November 1, Seattle had 7,000 cases, so nearly 50% of Seattle?s cases have been from the last six weeks. ?As Dr. Duchin with Public Health ? Seattle & King County reported today, cases are still at a dangerous level of COVID-19 transmission and more than 80% of intensive care beds are now occupied with 25% occupied by COVID-19 patients while the number of deaths has accelerated. Our hospitals are already stressed with high levels of cases like this Spring.
Nine months into a deadly pandemic, I know so many of us are feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from the ongoing stress of living through 2020 and a pandemic. But in order to protect our families and vulnerable neighbors, we must continue to strictly follow all public health guidance including testing, masking, and avoiding gatherings. The City will do all we can, but it?s up to each individual to slow the spread of COVID-19. This includes celebrating the winter holidays safely by remaining with your immediate household and not traveling to see relatives.
The pandemic has not only been hard on our families ? so many of Seattle?s small businesses are hurting. Next week, City Council will consider our joint legislation for additional small business relief, especially for workers who have been most impacted by the recent restrictions.
Shopping local - and shopping safely - will have a particularly profound impact on our small businesses ?If you, like me, have not yet finished your holiday shopping, I encourage you to check out the Office of Economic Development?s Shop your Block retail map as you search for that perfect gift. Shopping local is a great way to support your favorite Seattle small businesses in this truly unprecedented year. Local retail businesses are already following reduced capacity requirements, but remember your mask as you shop to keep our community safe.
While Seattle continues to work creatively to provide direct financial assistance to our workers and small businesses, it is more important than ever that our federal government immediately passes a COVID-19 relief package that includes direct assistance to workers, small businesses and cities. Many of our residents are relying on unemployment assistance, direct food relief and student loan forbearance to name a few programs.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Seattle has worked quickly to launch COVID-19 relief programs including rent relief, expanding shelter for people experiencing homelessness, grocery vouchers for working families, and financial assistance to small businesses. Next week, I?ll be announcing additional extensions of COVID-19 policies in the City of Seattle, but you can find a list of existing COVID-19 relief resources and policies on this website.
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,?
 
This week, Mayor Durkan announced additional investments of $55.8 million to support 840 low-income and affordable rental and homeownership opportunities in neighborhoods throughout Seattle. These investments, along with $60 million announced this summer to create 600 new units of permanent supportive housing, bring the 2020 total housing investments to $115.8 million, a historic level of investment in a single year for the City.
In addition to the first-ever Permanent Supportive Housing Pilot investments awarded this summer, for the first time in a decade the Office of Housing offered two rounds of funding to more quickly support affordable rental and homeownership housing?one in the spring and one in the fall. Mayor Durkan and the Office of Housing?s decision to increase the number of funding opportunities in a single year was made in direct response to the city?s urgent need for more affordable homes.?
The City?s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) ? in partnership with Scholarship Junkies ? has provided 3,703 individuals and households with direct cash assistance through its Disaster Relief Fund for Immigrants. This fund was created to support vulnerable immigrant and refugee communities who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic but shut out of federal assistance through the CARES Act and state unemployment insurance.
The addition of $1.3 million for Fresh Bucks in the newly approved 2021 City budget, combined with year-end program savings, makes it possible to enroll 3,100 people currently on the Fresh Bucks waitlist to begin receiving vouchers in December and continuing through 2021. This expansion brings the total Seattle households served by the Fresh Bucks program to 12,100 in addition to the City?s emergency grocery voucher program that has supported 14,000 households.
As Congress continues to negotiate a COVID-19 relief bill, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan led a letter to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris highlighting executive actions needed to help cities address COVID-19 in the initial days of the administration. The proposed actions focus on providing immediate relief to cities, residents, and small businesses across the country, specifically while cities continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and begin distributing a vaccine.? Mayors Bill de Blasio of New York, NY; Ted Wheeler of Portland, OR; Lori E. Lightfoot of Chicago, IL; Joe Giles of Mesa, AZ; and Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, CA are among the 15 other mayors who signed the letter.
In the letter, the mayors highlight key areas where the President-Elect can help cities, states, and residents such as using the Defense Production Act for supplies for testing, vaccinations and PPE, student loan forgiveness, and supporting local vaccine distribution.
 Tomorrow, the Seattle Sounders will take to the field at the MAPFRE Stadium to take on Columbus Crew in an attempt to win their second straight MLS Cup title. This is the fourth time that the Sounders have traveled to the MLS Cup in the past five years, and if they win this year it will be the team's third MLS Cup. Read more about the Sounders and their star attacking trio of Jordan Morris, Raul Ruidiaz, and Nico Lodeiro in the Seattle Times:
There?s a series that epitomizes the dynamism on the soccer field between Raul Ruidiaz, Jordan Morris and Nico Lodeiro. The flash of brilliance happened in the 80th?minute of the Sounders? Major League Soccer playoff opener against Los Angeles FC.
Lodeiro lofted the ball from deep in the midfield over five LAFC defenders to land at the feet of Ruidiaz, who then instinctually paused his dribble and tapped it ahead to a sprinting Morris for a jazzy, left-foot finish. Without fans in the stands due to COVID-related restrictions, the silence during the series at Lumen Field emphasized the unspoken connection between the players.
Precision. Vision. Flair. A trifecta that?s hard to find in a player ? let alone three on the same roster.
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