SEATTLE (January 5, 2021) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today issued a statement in response to Governor Inslee’s update of the statewide reopening guidelines. The updated statewide guidelines keep Seattle and King County in Phase One in which indoor gatherings with people outside your household are prohibited and business activity is limited. In the last two weeks, King County has had 6,057 residents test positive for COVID-19 including 1,478 new cases in Seattle and 84 hospitalizations of Seattle residents.
“As the national death toll surpasses 350,000 individuals, we are seeing the devastating impacts of COVID-19 across the country with full ICUs, hospitals turning away ambulances, and freezer trucks acting as morgues. While we are combating the surge in cases we saw earlier in the fall, new cases and hospitalizations remain alarmingly high and thousands of lives are at stake in our region and state. Governor Inslee recognizes that we must thoughtfully and safely resume activities,” said Mayor Durkan. “Seattle will continue to work in partnership with the state and county to protect the health and safety of our communities on the road to recovery and reopening and continue to provide relief programs like rental assistance and small business grants. As the COVID-19 vaccine gradually begins to roll out in Seattle and King County, we must continue to follow all public health guidance. Our actions today will shape our ability to return to a more normal life in the months to come.”
Mayor Durkan recently extended the moratoriums on nonprofit, residential, and small business evictions through March 31, 2021. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, 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. Residents and businesses can find a list of existing COVID-19 relief resources and policies on this website.
The City has administered over 540,000 COVID-19 tests across the Aurora, SoDo, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle testing locations. In addition, through a partnership with Curative, the City now has five COVID-19 testing kiosks throughout Seattle, with more opening soon. Information regarding free public testing can be found here.
Members of the public can track the current level of COVID-19 cases in Seattle and King County on Public Health – Seattle & King County’s data dashboard. The dashboard is updated daily.