July 16, 2020 Last Tuesday, Gov. Inslee announced he was going to stall counties from moving forward into the next phase of reopening until at least July 28 because of the current increase in positive cases throughout the state. He also cautioned that if cases continue to increase, some parts of the economy would have to take steps back and close again. During his press conference today, Gov. Inslee announced a rollback on social gatherings for counties currently in Phase 2 or modified Phase 1, reducing the number of people who could gather together to five and counties now in Phase 3 could gather in groups no larger than 10. The Governor indicated that if we do not adhere to mask wearing and social distancing, today’s rollbacks could be a forerunner of additional rollbacks. The increase in positive cases not just in Washington but nationally, has put greater emphasis on developing safe yet flexible plans for opening schools this fall. Yesterday’s case count increased by five positive cases to 49 in Jefferson County. Four of the five cases are members of the same family and are between the ages of 10 and 19, according to the Dept. of Public Health. “This is the time we have to get serious,” Locke said. If the transmission of the virus doesn’t slow down, it could impact the decision to open schools. “People have to take this seriously. The notion that a vaccine will be available and deployed by the end of the year is highly unlikely,” said Locke.

In Jefferson County, facemasks are available at the following locations: Safeway Food Store, Sims Way, WA, 6am-10pm Food Coop, 414 Kearney Street, 8am-7pm Quilcene Village Store, Hwy. 101, 7am-11pm QFC Port Hadlock, 1890 Irondale Road, 8am-8pm

Masks for low-income families are available at:

Public Health in Port Townsend

Olycap, YMCA, Food Bank FAQs for Businesses/Employers RE: Positive COVID-19 Test Results: https://jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/1437/Business-Resources

If you have symptoms: Call Jefferson Healthcare’s Nurse Consult line at 360-344-3094 as a first step. COVID-19 testing drive-thru at Jefferson Healthcare is by appointment only. If you want to help: Go to https://www.olycap.org to fill out a volunteer form. Dept. of Emergency Management is looking for retired doctors, nurses, EMTs, police officers; those with a food-handler’s card. To volunteer, go to https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/1450/VolunteerHow-to-Help

If you need help: • Olympic Community Action Programs: Fill out the request for assistance form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1l8KITZeXU70zGI676aBAROdRpxyq0uFPhkq8jouIt_cU2w/vi ewform

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION:

• Jefferson County Public Health: https://co.jefferson.wa.us/1429/COVID-19 • Jefferson Co. Public Health Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffersoncountypublichealth/ • Jefferson County Gov. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffcowagov/ • Dept. of Emergency Management: https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/950/Dept-of-Emergency- Management • Washington Gov. Inslee’s webpage: https://www.governor.wa.us

Difficulty coping? CALL THE CRISIS HOTLINE at 1-888-910-0416. Other Mental Health Resources can be found at: https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/1447/Mental-Health-Resources Best Practices and Guides: • Washington State Department of Health: https://www.doh.wa.gov/ • CDC: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov

Questions about Coronavirus? Go to: www.coronavirus.wa.gov Who to call: State COVID-19 Assistance Hotline: 1-800-525-0127 • 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday thru Friday • 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and on observed state holidays. Language assistance is available. Please note: The call center cannot access COVID-19 testing results. For testing inquiries or results, please contact your health care provider. You can also text the word “Coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on your phone wherever you are. You will receive links to the latest information on COVID-19, including county-level updates and resources for families, businesses, students and more. Also, business and worker inquiry questionnaire: https://coronavirus.wa.gov/how-you-can-help/covid-19- business-and-worker-inquiries. And finally, complaint form: https://bit.ly/covid-compliance