Pardon the lack of literary narrative this time, but islanders’ stories are so varied that a few hundred words can’t capture the variety of experiences. Some think it is all a show. Others are in daily threat as they treat people. Some have died. Many are worried about jobs, money, family, and friends. Parents REALLY wish schools would re-open. Many are inconvenienced and probably safe as long as they stay home. Pets are happy.
The following is an update to the post from a month ago. Check back on Whidbey Coronavirus Info from the beginning of March for a comparison of how things have changed. About that time, Island County reported its first patient with a positive test for the virus.
- Getting the worst news out of the way: Island County 114 cases with 3 deaths – WA Dept. of Health
- Hence, Gov. Inslee extends Washington state’s coronavirus stay-home order through May 4 – Seattle Times
- At a more local level – Island County’s official updates: COVID-19 Community Guidance
- Washington State acted early, seriously, continues to take it seriously, and is looking like one of the healthier places to be. – Corona Deaths By Country – NY Times
- “But as Washington state officials began to react, they may have created a case study of how to “flatten the curve” and reduce the spread of the virus.” Coronavirus first ravaged parts of Washington state. Now there are signs of a change – CNN
- Washington State caught the early headlines, but here’s how the state compares to the other states. State by State Status of Confirmed Covid-19 Cases – Flourish
- Unfortunately, the local hospital is having financial difficulties. Help sought for WhidbeyHealth as pandemic causes financial pain – South Whidbey Record
- At least one local distillery, Cadee, has switched to making hand sanitizer.
Hand Sanitizer update: thousands of individual sized bottles of Cadée Hand Sanitizer are being bottled and delivered to our local community. It’s free! Request it from your local grocer or retailer on the Isle of Whidbey. Be safe and healthy! #handsanitizer pic.twitter.com/L8IwC2O0tY
— Cadée Distillery LLC (@cadeedistillery) March 27, 2020
- Islanders are staying home more, or at least some are. COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports – Google
- And the State parks are closed. Novel Coronavirus Update – WA Parks
- A few reddit posts. Reddit is a site that is somewhat Wild-West in its attitude. That also means it captures news that others might not. None of these are comprehensive, but they are starts that don’t require joining Facebook etc. A couple of (probably private) groups on Facebook are Alert Whidbey and Whidbey Island Community. These aren’t comprehensive either, but again, they’re a start. Contribute to any of them to make them better.
There are undoubtedly more resources and news stories, and every hour brings updates. Navy personnel are affected by conditions in the fleet. Unemployment around the Puget Sound is affected as already-stricken Boeing (and hence its supply chain) has problems. Meanwhile, Amazon is certainly in several news items from delivery services, restrictions, employee hiring and employee protests… Not a dull time. Real estate continues, through heavily throttled while some islands try to enforce their moats and block non-residents from retreating from the cities. Between now and next month there will be more than enough items to discuss. Hopefully, this post brings some things up to date. Also, hopefully, there won’t be a need for too many subsequent updates because hopefully the crisis will end soon. Hopefully.
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