SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Key Facts:
- 26 new deaths and 89 new cases reported on Wednesday. Total of 567 deaths and 10,783 overall cases in Washington.
- Gov. Inslee said it's 'unknowable' if Washington's stay-home order can be lifted May 4
- 17 coronavirus deaths among 307 cases in Spokane County
Saturday, April 18
10:47 a.m.
Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) has confirmed new positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Spokane County. The total number of cases is now 302, with 17 COVID-19-related deaths.
Friday, April 17
7:40 p.m.
Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward tweeted on Friday evening about a conversation she had with Governor Jay Inslee about reopening parts of the state amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Woodward, she pushed for a slow, regional approach to reopening parts of the economy when she spoke with Inslee. She also said she emphasized how "Spokane is drastically different than western Washington."
She went on to say that she was "confident we can develop our own plan to open businesses in stages," but added that social distancing measures would still be needed and the plan would need to move slowly.
The mayor pointed to the fact that Providence Sacred Heart received four coroanvirus patients from the Diamond Princess cruise ship 11 days before Seattle had its first death from the virus, saying this allowed Spokane to have a head start in responding to the pandemic.
"To date, we have fewer than 300 confirmed cases in a county of 500,000+ people," part of one tweet reads.
She continued to point to Spokane's healthcare system, saying that 16 people are hospitalized and that the local health system hasn't been overburdened. She also said Spokane has an 100 person isolation facility that currently is housing two people.
Woodward said despite this, she asked for people to be "cautious in your frustration over out current and likely extended stay home order."
Inslee said during press conferences earlier this week that it hadn't been decided if the stay-home order would be extended, but that it is a possibility. He also said he was speaking with certain industries, in particular the residential construction industry, about setting protocols to be able to open up earlier. He also said reopening the economy would happen in stages, not all at once.
1 p.m.
Crave! Northwest has canceled its 2020 event, citing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
"The COVID-19 crisis makes it impossible to schedule an coordinate the many moving parts of this great event," Artistic Director Adam Hegsted said in a Facebook post. "There are not enough words to describe the extraordinary challenges for the culinary and associated industries at this time."
6:15 a.m.
The Spokane Regional Health District reports there are 293 cases and 17 deaths in Spokane County.
Wuhan raises number of COVID-19 deaths by 1,290
The central Chinese city of Wuhan has raised its number of COVID-19 fatalities by 1,290, with state media saying Friday the undercount had been due to the insufficient admission capabilities at overwhelmed medical facilities at the peak of the outbreak.
Wuhan’s revised death toll of 3,869 is the most in China. Numbers of total cases in the city of 11 million were also raised by 325 to 50,333, accounting for about two-thirds of China’s total 82,367 announced cases.
New York to require face coverings in busy public places
New York residents will be required to wear face coverings anytime they come into close contact with other people outside their homes starting Friday night.
The mandate by Gov. Andrew Cuomo will require a mask or face covering, like a bandanna, on busy streets, public transit, or any situation where people cannot maintain 6 feet of social distancing, even if it is passing a person briefly on a wooded trail.
The governor, who has himself eschewed masks during his daily news briefings, though he comes within six feet of his staff, said there will initially be no civil penalties for noncompliance, but he’s urging merchants to enforce it among customers.
