53 More Cases, 2 Deaths Due To Coronavirus In King County Friday

KING COUNTY, WA — Officials with Public Health of Seattle and King County reported two additional deaths due to the coronavirus and 53 new cases of the virus Friday. Both of the new deaths were from the Shoreline area.

The numbers come a day after King County reported its first day with 0 deaths since the outbreak began in earnest. The deaths reported Friday were residents of

The new numbers bring the total number of county-wide cases to 7,360 and 516 deaths since the outbreak began. Of King County patients who are confirmed to have caught the virus, 7 percent are killed by the disease.

Statewide, Washington reported 178 new cases of the virus and 9 deaths. Friday's numbers bring the total to 17,951 Washingtonians infected and 992 killed. A total of 273,303 people have been tested for the virus statewide, meaning around 7 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:

9th county approved to enter Phase 2

Whitman County has been approved to enter Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee's Safe Start plan early.

Whitman is the 9th county to get the go-ahead, following Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Ferry, Pend Oreille, Wahkiakum, Skamania and Stevens counties. To enter Phase 2 early, all counties needed to have a population below 75,000, and no new coronavirus cases for at least the last three weeks.

Entering Phase 2 of the Safe Start plan brings a variety of benefits, reopening bars, restaurants, outdoor recreation, hair salons, retailers, manufacturers and more, albeit with new safety precautions for each of the reopened industries. It also allows for small gatherings and loosens restrictions on non-essential travel.

The rest of the state is expected to enter Phase 2 by June 1, but that could change if there any coronavirus flare-ups or further complications.

Read more: 9th Washington County Approved For Phase 2 Reopening

Coronavirus's toll on tourism

The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact the state's tourism industries. As the Seattle Times reports, the Washington State Convention Center's $1.8 billion dollar expansion is in danger of running out of money thanks largely to the pandemic. If the expansion does fold, it'll put an estimated 1,000 people out of work.

The Times reports that project managers are seeking out federal aid to keep the expansion afloat. They're reportedly asking for a bridge loan or a federal grant to keep the project running for the next several years. If they can't, the center says the project will be out of money by next March.

The virus has also caused a host of other issues for various tourism-related industries. Downtown Seattle saw hotel revenue drop 96 percent compared with the same time last year.

Read the full report on the Seattle Times website.

Coronavirus sparks agriculture worker strike

Workers at seven produce warehouses in the Yakima area have banded together and walked off their jobs to protest a lack of protections against the coronavirus.

The striking workers are demanding new safety measures, including six feet of social distancing space in their workplaces. Some are also asking for a hazard pay raise of $2 an hour.

The organizers say they expect at least six more strikes to join their movement over the weekend.

Yakima County has been one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus in Washington state, with 2,100 cases and 73 deaths. The county has just 250,000 residents, making it the county with the highest rate of cases per capita on the whole west coast.

Agriculture is one of Yakima County's biggest industries. Yakima facilities produce much of America's apples, cherries, hops and other produce.

Read more: Yakima County Agriculture Workers Strike Over Coronavirus

Health Officer disputes reports of 'patient zero' in Snohomish County

Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters is pushing back against reports that a Snohomish man was the first American to carry the coronavirus.

In-mid January, several reports claimed that a Snohomish County man was the coronavirus 'patient zero,' the first to carry the virus in the states.

In a press conference Friday, Spitters said the idea that the Washington man was the definitive source for the disease in the United States was "clearly false." Spitters says molecular study of the virus has show that there are multiple divergent strains of the disease across the country, making it difficult to trace and unlikely it originated with just the one man.

"Maybe it was that individual that was the first introduction in January. It certainly wasn't the only one and, you know, I think it's reasonable to assume given reports like the ones that we've had, and others around the country, that introduction may have occurred prior to mid-January, as we initially suspected," said Spitters.

Read more: Snohomish County Man Was Not 'Patient Zero,' Health Officer Says

King County Council to provide $4 million for small businesses

The King County Council has approved a plan to set aside $4 million dollars to support small businesses operating out of unincorporated King County.

Council members unanimously approved the program, which will give the money to the Department of Local Services to create new small business grants. The grants will be distributed in part with help from local chambers of commerce and community groups.

The council says the grants will prioritized for businesses with 15 or fewer employees who have been in business for more than three years, and who have taken in less than 1.5 million in revenue annually.

Business can find more information by visiting King County's website here.

Coronavirus cases by city:

Location	Confirmed Cases	Deaths
Shoreline	333	53
Lake Forest Park	30	0
Kenmore	68	6
Yarrow Point	2	0
Bothell	90	10
Woodinville	80	9
Duvall	20	1
Seattle	2,275	118
Kirkland	304	53
Redmond	231	49
Medina	11	0
Clyde Hill	8	1
Bellevue	381	29
Sammamish	74	5
Carnation	5	0
Issaquah	159	30
Snoqualmie	23	1
North Bend	21	1
Burien	198	7
Seatac	152	4
Tukwila	146	0
Renton	577	37
Normandy Park	12	0
Des Moines	151	2
Kent	606	33
Covington	67	1
Maple Valley	69	4
Federal Way	434	9
Auburn	456	14
Black Diamond	10	1
Enumclaw	82	24
Milton	1	1
Algona	19	1
Pacific	30	1
Total	7,360	516

View the daily summary of cases, review infections at long-term care facilities, or explore the virus's impact by race and ethnicity.