Seattle (March 11) – Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan issued the below statement on Governor Jay Inslee’s proclamation to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in Washington State. Yesterday, Mayor Durkan highlighted the recent modeling of COVID-19 in our region.
“Since January, the City of Seattle has been preparing for COVID-19 in our region. This global pandemic will be one of the most transformative and consequential moments in Seattle’s history, and we are doing everything possible to keep our communities healthy and safe. As cases climbed, it became clear that we were working with inadequate testing capacity, which undoubtedly hindered our public health officials, first responders, and health care workers.
“Public health officials and scientists have come to the consensus that COVID-19 is more widespread in our community than current testing would indicate. If we don’t take additional mitigation steps now, the number of cases could quickly rise into the tens of thousands.
“Today, you are seeing an unprecedented coalition of local governments and the state coming together to take action to slow the spread of the virus in our community. We all know that we will need to take additional actions in the days and weeks to come.
“I have no doubt that this decision will impact our local economy and community here in Seattle. From the onset, we’ve known that this virus would disproportionally impact vulnerable communities and that the economic effect of our response would disproportionally impact small businesses and workers without a safety net. The City announced some initial measures to aid those who are feeling the burden already. As we move forward, we will continue to do everything we can to help and support those who need it most.”
Mayor Durkan has launched several initiatives to help support small businesses, working people, and vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 outbreak. Initial actions include:
- Expanding shelter capacity for our neighbors experiencing homelessness;
- Keeping utility services on for the duration of the COVID-19 Civil Emergency; and
- Launching an initial recovery package for small businesses to provide immediate relief for establishments impacted by COVID-19.