Recap of Today’s COVID-19 News and Updates

DAILY BULLETIN

April 14, 2020

Contact: 

Joint Information Center
253-512-7100
wajic@mil.wa.gov

Numbers: As of 11:59 p.m. on April 13, there are 10,694 cases of COVID-19 in Washington state. New developments:

  • Negative test results: Since April 3, we have had to suspend reporting negative testing results as we made modifications to our data system for logging negative results. We are now able to report both positive and negative testing results, and data have been updated back through April 4.​

  • Changes in numbers: Over the past few days, case counts have been changing as we’ve been updating our lab information. Many lab reports originally come in with an unassigned county and are counted as cases. We have been working to improve the quality of our address information and as we have done this, a number of cases have been determined to be out of state. These are no longer counted as Washington state cases and have been removed from our case counts.​

Visit the Department of Health's website for cases by county, demographics, and more.

Distancing efforts working and must continue in key Washington counties: A new report suggests physical distancing efforts are working to slow COVID-19 transmission in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties more successfully than earlier anticipated, and individual and household efforts are having a positive impact. Read the news release.

The latest video from the Spread the Facts campaign features tips and info for staying at home and social distancing. The videos are available in English and Spanish. For more tools and resources visit the Spread the Facts toolkit.

Inslee issues new proclamations on criminal statutes, CDLs and garnishments: Gov. Jay Inslee signed three new proclamations today in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The orders impact criminal statute of limitations, make it easier to renew commercial driver licenses and learner permits, and protect consumer assets, including federal stimulus checks, from consumer debt collections.

The three proclamations are as follows:

  • Criminal statutes: The proclamation suspends statutes of limitations for all crimes and waives the 1-year limitation on raising post-conviction challenges in criminal convictions. The order is designed to allow more time for prosecutors to file criminal charges and also to allow more time for those convicted of crimes to challenge those convictions in court. Read the full proclamation here

  • Department of Licensing – CDL and CLP statutes: The proclamation waives certain statutory barriers for renewing or extending commercial driver licenses and commercial learner permits in order to align with the federal statutes waived by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This order will allow commercial truckers to stay on the road to keep supply chains fully stocked. Read the full proclamation here. 

  • Garnishment: The proclamation suspends statutes that permit collection of consumer debt judgments, including bank account and wage garnishments and waives accrual of post-judgment interest on consumer debt judgments during the period of this order. This order is designed to protect consumer assets, including federal stimulus checks, from consumer debt collections. Read the full proclamation here.

 New “Road to Recovery” series launches on TVW. State leaders have launched a new Q&A series with TVW called “Road to Recovery” to talk about how businesses and workers can navigate their way through the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first episode, host Mike McClanahan and Employment Security Dept. Commissioner Suzi LeVine discuss the steps people must take to receive financial help due to the COVID-19 situation.

Western State Hospital taking steps to limit spread of COVID-19 outbreak: Limiting spread of disease in congregate settings is an ongoing concern in the complex battle to contain COVID-19. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) recently visited Western State Hospital to assist with cases of COVID-19 among patients and staff there and says the hospital has taken effective measures to prevent what could have been a much larger outbreak. Read the news release.

Recording of Battelle phone briefing posted: Last Thursday’s biweekly JIC phone briefing featured Dr. Justin Sanchez of Battelle Memorial Institute with an update on the Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System for PPE in Washington state. Listen to the recording.

Washington 211 COVID-19 Call Center: Do you need information or answers to your questions and concerns about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)? You can call 1-800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help. 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. 

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CHA Washington