Bellevue Closes 2 Community Centers Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

BELLEVUE, WA — Amid a growing outbreak of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, in the Seattle area, the city of Bellevue is closing two community centers in an effort to halt the virus's spread.

Programs and drop-in activities will be suspended from March 9-31 at Highland Community Center and North Bellevue Community Center, the city said Friday. Other city community events may also be postponed.

Postponed events include a Cultural Conversations gathering, scheduled for March 17, and three Welcome to City Hall events: one for English speakers on March 19, another for people from South Asia on April 3 and one for Mandarin speakers on May 8.

The city is also canceling all Parks & Community Services events through March 31. The department isn't taking any new requests for space rental at community facilities through the end of the month.

City parks and other community centers and programming there will remain open.

Bellevue has no confirmed cases of COVID-19, but King County officials have recommended avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people to curb the spread of the virus.

The state of Washington had at least 100 confirmed cases as of Saturday, with 16 reported deaths — many of them linked to the LifeCare Center in Kirkland.

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