Coronavirus In Washington: 1,300 Total Deaths, 30,367 Cases

SEATTLE, WA —Thursday, state health officials confirmed seven new deaths linked to COVID-19 in Washington and 498 new confirmed cases of the disease.

Deaths Thursday were reported in Franklin, King, Pierce, and Yakima counties. Yakima County also continues to bear most of the new cases per capita, with 117 lab-confirmed infections.

The new numbers mean a total of 1,300 Washington residents have now died, and 30,367 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the state since the outbreak began.

A total of 505,795 Washingtonians have been tested for the coronavirus, meaning roughly 6 percent of tests come back positive.

---

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in Washington. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

---

Catch up on the latest developments:

Facial covering mandate begins Friday

Starting Friday, a statewide mandate goes into effect requiring all Washington residents to wear facial coverings while out in public spaces. That includes when residents are inside a store or a public space, while getting healthcare, riding public transportation, or when outdoors and unable to keep a physical distance of six feet between themselves and everyone else.

The mandate does not preference any specific type of covering. Any type of facial covering that goes over the mouth and nose will be accepted. Health officials say, that's enough to slow the spread of the virus down to where Washington needs it to be.

Anyone who refuses to wear a mask could end up with a misdemeanor, which can be accompanied by a fine of up to $1000, but both the governor and law enforcement agencies across the state agree: the goal of the mandate is not rigid enforcement, it is to encourage residents to make the safe choice for their community.

Washington State Patrol sent a letter expressing that sentiment Thursday:

"The statewide face covering order is a public health and safety measure. It is not a mandate for law enforcement to detain, cite or arrest violators but rather an evidence-based and safety-focused directive meant to slow the spread of a potentially deadly disease.

There are also few exceptions to the mandate, including for those who cannot safely breathe through masks, and children under 5. Children ages 3 through 5 are encouraged to wear facial coverings if possible, but children under 2 should not, as they can be a dangerous choking hazard for kids that young.

Read more:

Face Covering Mandate Enforcement To 'Focus On Education': WSP

Washington's Facial Covering Mandate Begins Friday

Concerns over rising case counts in Pierce County

Nearly three weeks ago Pierce County entered Phase 2 of the Safe Start plan, but since businesses started reopening for the second phase, the counties case counts have nearly doubled and now health officials are worried the state could order Pierce County back down into Phase 1.

Returning to Phase 1 would close all but the most essential businesses once again, shuttering retailers, restaurants, construction and more.

To avoid being kicked back into the first phase, Dr. Anthony L-T Chen, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department's Director of Health, says residents need to start taking the virus as seriously as they did when the pandemic first hit.

"COVID-19 continues to be widespread in Pierce County. It affects every geographic area of our community, all age groups and all ethnic groups," writes Chen. "In the last few weeks, we have seen more cases among those 40 and under. We have seen cases among businesses. Traffic and cellphone mobility are up. This tells us people are going out and about, getting exposed and exposing others."

Read more: 'Phase 2 Is In Danger' Warns Pierce County Director Of Health

King County moves to take over contact tracing

Public Health of Seattle - King County is planning to fully take over local contact tracing efforts from the state. That means instead of having contact tracers from other counties calling and trying to place residents in isolation or quarantine, contact tracers working exclusively within King County would be on duty, which Public Health says they think will be more effective.

King County has had contact tracers on the job since the outbreak began, but contact tracing shifted into more of a state-led effort when infections spread to other counties. Now, King County Public Health says that as case counts are winding down, they can take over again.

Already King County is handling about 70 percent of the contact tracing done within its borders, but to get that last 30 percent they'll need to expand their roster. 28 contact tracers are already signed on, and over a dozen more will be added in the coming weeks.

Public health estimates that, at this rate, King County will be able to handle all of its own contact tracing by the end of July.

Coronavirus cases by county:

County	Confirmed Cases	Hospitalizations	Deaths
Adams	110 (+1)	8	0
Asotin	20	1	2
Benton	1,556 (+32)	190 (+1)	76
Chelan	296 (+3)	19	6
Clallam	33	3	0
Clark	681 (+10)	99	30
Columbia	8	1 (+1)	0
Cowlitz	158 (+5)	18	0
Douglas	208 (+3)	12	3
Ferry	1	0	0
Franklin	1,451 (+45)	132 (+2)	32 (+1)
Garfield	0	0	0
Grant	438 (+24)	37	6
Grays Harbor	24	8	0
Island	191 (+3)	32	12
Jefferson	36 (+1)	8 (+1)	0
King	9,573 (+120)	1,737 (-1)	606 (+2)
Kitsap	200 (+2)	28	2
Kittitas	112 (+3)	3	0
Klickitat	55	8	3
Lewis	53 (+1)	13	3
Lincoln	2	0	0
Mason	46 (+3)	5	1
Okanogan	63	5	2
Pacific	12	2	1
Pend Orielle	3	0	0
Pierce	2,400 (+39)	398 (+2)	97 (+1)
San Juan	19	1	0
Skagit	491 (+3)	56	15
Skamania	3	1	0
Snohomish	3,371 (+25)	598 (+2)	165
Spokane	1,098 (+29)	112 (+3)	38
Stevens	16	4	1
Thurston	224	34 (-1)	7
Wahkiakum	5 (+1)	0	0
Walla Walla	147 (+3)	12	3
Whatcom	574 (+20)	52	40
Whitman	33 (+3)	0	0
Yakima	6,607 (+117)	468 (+4)	149 (+3)
Unassigned	49 (+6)	1	0
Total	30,367	4,106	1,300

The above numbers are provided by the state Department of Health, and some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by county health agencies.