King County submits plan to re-open limited business activity in COVID-19 recovery
King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci, and King County Board of Health Chair Joe McDermott today submitted a plan to the state Department of Health that would allow limited and modified openings for a wide range of businesses and personal activities. The county’s application includes recommendations from King County local health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin that would: allow all outdoor recreation permitted in Phase 2 in Gov. Inslee’s Safe Start plan expand opening indoor fitness studios for one-on-one activities allow restaurants to begin opening indoor seating at 25% of normal capacity allow hair… Read More
COVID-19 and unrecognized realities experienced by black people
Crossposted from Public Health Insider Face coverings help protect our community from COVID-19. Unfortunately many members of the Black community are concerned that wearing face coverings may lead to dangerous and harmful encounters with law enforcement or other community members. Racism influences perceptions of face coverings and those wearing or not wearing them. After rounds of engagement and feedback from community partners, the decision was made to roll out the face covering policy as as a directive, not an order, so as to prevent further policing of black and brown communities or perpetuate further… Read More
FSA rules relaxed in response to COVID-19
During Open Enrollment last year, you may have elected a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to have money taken from your paycheck, pretax, to pay for dependent day care or certain medical expenses not covered by your health plan. Now, your expenses may have changed due to the coronavirus pandemic, so the IRS has relaxed rules pertaining to Health Care and Dependent Day Care FSAs. These changes are effective through the end of 2020. Increase or decrease your FSA contribution If you have a Health Care or Dependent Day Care FSA, you can… Read More
Standing for justice as we keep our community safe from spread of COVID-19
Crossposted from Public Health Insider Public Health – Seattle & King County shared perspectives from our local leadership about George Floyd’s tragic death, yet one more in an endless string of violence perpetrated against Black people in our country, and answered questions about participating in protests while reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19. Story: In recent days, community members joined protests locally and across the country in response to the death of George Floyd and so many Black lives that have been taken through senseless, violent and racist acts. This racism and hate comes… Read More
Resources available to identify and address COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have put together a useful website to support people during the coronavirus pandemic. It includes a list of possible symptoms to watch out for, such as fever, coughing, fatigue, and shortness of breath. View the site here. The website shares how anyone can have mild to severe symptoms, but that older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk. Additional symptoms can include: Muscle or body aches Headache New loss of taste or… Read More
White folks being anti-racist: How do we become useful?
Written by Richard Gelb, Environmental Public Health Planner, Department of Public Health, ProTech17 The systems of whiteness and racism in society have been more greatly revealed through the COVID-19 emergency. We see the historic and ongoing racial differences in the quality, affordability, and access to housing, health care, jobs, education, transportation, and technology resulting in disproportionately higher risk of infections for people of color. King County’s Antiracist White Action Group (ARWAG), one of several official Employee Resource Groups, helps white employees train themselves away from harmful behaviors and become more poised to… Read More
Phishing attempts around unemployment claims
State cybersecurity experts report recent phishing attempts that use official-looking messages allegedly from the state Employment Security Department to try and acquire employee account credentials. To the left is an example. Click here to view it larger. As the state Office of Cybersecurity says: “Phishing emails are increasingly sophisticated and hard to detect. They may appear to be from people or organizations you know and trust. They may even contain information from previous emails threads so that it appears to be part of a continuing conversation.” The state warns: Be suspicious of any emails that… Read More
Public Health publishes new COVID-19 key indicators dashboard
Crossposted from Public Health Insider Our latest dashboard, Key Indicators of COVID-19 Activity in King County, Washington, provides a snapshot of several useful indicators, or metrics, related to COVID-19 activity in our community and the impact on our health and our hospitals. We talked to Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County to learn more about what these indicators mean. Why are these indicators useful? JD: The key indicators provide an overview of how we are doing in several important areas: disease activity, testing (specifically, PCR testing), and healthcare… Read More
Supporting each other and our community during COVID-19
With a guiding vision of “Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive,” King County employees are thinking about how best to support each other and our community through this pandemic. Though we are not all on the front lines, the actions we take are critical to the success of those who are. Balanced You supports King County employees in living the “We Are One Team” value by providing tips on how you can do what you can, where you can to support the efforts of our front line… Read More
Community without contact: Supporting innovative farmers through CSAs, online markets, and farm stands
Crossposted from Keeping King County Green All aspects of the local food economy have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, and farmers are on the frontline making sure food is harvested, packed, and delivered in a way that prioritizes safe, healthy food for consumers. However, like many industries, farmers are facing financial hardship as sales outlets are limited or effectively gone as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. During these uncertain times, many farmers are getting creative to help consumers access fresh local food with online ordering, delivery services, and new pickup locations. The… Read More
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