8 New Coronavirus Cases In Pierce County, No New Deaths

TACOMA, WA — Pierce County health officials reported just eight new coronavirus cases and no additional deaths linked to COVID-19 Monday afternoon. The only coronavirus death reported across the state Monday was in King County.

Lab tests have confirmed 1,802 illnesses and 68 deaths linked to COVID-19 in Pierce County since early March. Approximately 1,100 patients are classified as recovered, while 676 cases remain active.

Across Washington, the Department of Health added 178 new coronavirus cases Monday, bringing the official state tally to 18,611 illnesses and 1,002 deaths. According to state data, 6.4 percent of tests have returned positive among 289,135 Washingtonians tested since February.

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Catch up on the latest developments:

Tacoma Dome offers free coronavirus screenings this week

The Tacoma Dome will offer free coronavirus testing this week, in partnership with Kroger, between Tuesday and Thursday. According to the News Tribune, Pierce County residents must register before visiting the drive-thru site, either online or by calling 1-888-852-2567.

Those who are approved for testing can schedule an appointment between 10 a.m and 4 p.m., and organizers hope to test about 250 people per day.

In late March, the health department screened nearly 1,000 health care workers and first responders during a weeklong event at the Tacoma Dome. The News Tribune reports further opportunities could be announced at a later date.

Read more about the free testing this week here.

Sound Transit will bring back train fares in June, offered at a reduced rate

Sound Transit will restart fare collections on Sounder and Link trains beginning June 1, but tickets will be priced lower until July. The transit agency's "Recovery Fare" initiative will charge $1 for light trail trips and $2 aboard Sounder trains. ST Express buses will continue to operate without fares to allow for rear passenger boarding.

In Pierce County, several ST Express routes operated by Pierce Transit will resume full service on May 24:

• Routes 560, 574, 577, and 594 will return to full weekday service.
• Route 578 will return to full weekday service, along with additional trips during the p.m. peak to account for reduced Sounder South service.
• Routes 566, 586, 590, and 592 will return to most weekday service.
• Route 595 will return to some weekday service.
• Routes 580 and 596 will have service correspond to the reduced Sounder Schedule.
• Routes 544 and 567 remain temporarily canceled.

Inslee approves restart for all elective medical procedures, including dentistry

All dentist offices and family medical practices can reopen immediately reopen to patients, as long as they can meet a series of new safety guidelines provided by the state. Gov. Jay Inslee announced the restart of all elective procedures Monday afternoon.

Inslee said the rules were crafted with input from health care professionals, including the Washington Nurses Association.

Under the governor's guidance, medical offices must secure enough personal protective equipment for their staff members, enforce physical distancing and screen visitors for COVID-19 symptoms before they are treated.

Inslee said each facility must also have a plan in place to scale back services if there is an increase in coronavirus cases that places a strain on the health care system.

Read more about the updated rules for medical services here.

UW Medicine announces furloughs for 1,500 staff

The University of Washington Medicine system will furlough 1,500 staffers as hospital leadership faces a projected $500 million loss in revenue by the end of summer.

UW Medicine has been at the forefront of the coronavirus response in Washington and nationally, processing thousands of coronavirus tests per day and creating epidemiological models that have been used to predict the virus's spread across the United States.

The high cost of the coronavirus response, coupled with substantial lost revenue from non-emergency procedures, has had a significant impact on the hospital's bottom line.

According to an announcement published Monday, furloughs will range in length from one to eight weeks, and employees will be able to retain their health insurance and other benefits. The furloughs will impact health care workers, management and administrative staff at hospitals and clinics across UW Medicine, including Harborview Medical Center and Valley Medical Center.

Last week, UW Medicine's CEO said several other cost-saving measures will be implemented before the system can achieve financial stability.

Read more about the planned furloughs here.

Washington's top health official to step down in January

Dr. John Wiesman, the state secretary of health, will step down in January to take a faculty job at the University of North Carolina.

The Department of Health announced Wiesman's pending departure Monday, saying Wiesman accepted the job before the public health crisis and tendered his resignation, effective Jan. 10, 2021, at the beginning of March.

According to state health officials, all Department of Health staff were notified the same week, but they held off on publicly announcing Wiesman's plans to keep the focus on the state's COVID-19 response.

Read more about the secretary's resignation here.

10th Washington county moves to phase 2

Asotin County is the latest Washington county to be approved for phase 2 of the governor's Safe Start reopening plan, allowing for more businesses to resume operation ahead of schedule.

Counties with a population under 75,000 people and no new coronavirus cases within three weeks are eligible to reply for expedited reopening.

Asotin, located at the southeastern tip of the state, joins nine other counties that were previously approved for the second phase, including Stevens, Skamania and Whitman counties. An application remains under review for Kittitas County, while Grays Harbor and Jefferson counties have not applied.

Read more about Asotin County's reopening here.

Coronavirus cases by city:

Location	Confirmed Cases	Deaths
Bonney Lake	44	2
Central Pierce County	130	6
East Pierce County	49	2
Edgewood/Fife/Milton	85	9
Frederickson	64	2
Gig Harbor	52	1
Graham	54	0
Key Peninsula	7	1
Lake Tapps/Sumner	45	0
Lakewood	183	5
Parkland	100	2
Puyallup	127	6
South Hill	99	0
South Pierce County	38	0
Southwest Pierce County	21	2
Spanaway	62	4
Tacoma	576	24
University Place	58	1
Unknown	8	0
Total	1,802	68