The Washington State Department of Health said it “has already exhausted the limited supply” of free COVID-19 home test kits, which it recently announced were available to residents through the end of the year. “We have had an overwhelming response to the initiative,” a pop-up message on the department’s free COVID test webpage said.
COVID-19 coronavirus
Snohomish County invests $7.8 million of federal pandemic recovery dollars to increase access to child care
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers announced Wednesday that the county is investing $7.8 million of its allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to increase access to child care, with a focus on children and families’ social-emotional development and affordability programs. Through these investments, in the second quarter of 2022, YMCA of Snohomish County reported…
Somers releases proposal for spending county’s remaining $85 million in ARPA funds
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers Thursdayreleased his proposal for the county’s remaining $85 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which are federal dollars designed to address the public health, social, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a county news release, the proposal reflects community pandemic recovery priorities identified during a four-month…
Snohomish County allocates $1.8 million in pandemic recovery funds to support youth and families
Snohomish County said it has allocated $1.8 million of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support youth and family resource hubs. In a Tuesday news release, the county said it has supplied funds to eight brick-and-mortar resource hubs, including a mix of certified family resource centers. In 2022, these hubs have helped more…
Snohomish County publishes report detailing community pandemic recovery priorities
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers has released the Community Pandemic Recovery Priorities Report, which details the outcomes of the four-month pandemic recovery engagement effort the county conducted over the spring and summer. According to a county news release, the report collects key themes across conversations with community leaders, service providers, mayors and residents to identify…
State Department of Health releases updated COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools, child care
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has released its updated COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and child care. According to a department news release, the guidance takes lessons learned from the first two and a half years of the pandemic, and outlines both required and recommended measures for the 2022-23 school year to help…
Snohomish County purchases first hotel for those without housing
Snohomish County is planning to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to purchase its first hotel to be converted into “time-limited, bridge housing” for those who are homeless. The Days Inn facility in Everett will provide 74 new units to those individuals living without shelter, the county said in a Monday press release. As…
Snohomish County uses ARPA funds to partner with Edmonds, Lynnwood for shelter, behavioral health projects
The cities of Edmonds and Lynnwood will be among the beneficiaries of a new Snohomish County program that will invest $9.6 million in the shelter and behavioral health initiatives. According to a county news release, the Shelter & Behavioral Health Partnership Program seeks to leverage federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars through collaborations with…
New telehealth option launched to expand COVID-19 treatment access
To increase access to potentially life-saving medication to treat COVID-19, the Washington State Department of Health and its partners have launched a new telehealth option for patients. According to a Department of Health press release, the new option expands the federal government’s Test to Treat initiative and gives people at risk of severe disease another…
Snohomish County temporarily reopens emergency rental assistance program
Have you or a loved one been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? The Snohomish County Emergency Rental Assistance Program has temporarily reopened to accept new applications through 211. The program has limited funds and assistance cannot be guaranteed. For more information, visit snohomish-county-coronavirus-response-snoco-gis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/emergency-rental-assistance The county also provided the following additional resources: Utility Assistance: snohomishcountywa.gov/552/Energy-Assistance Food…
My Edmonds News
Sign Up for Our Daily Edmonds Newsletter
County leaders promote ‘higher level of precautions’ as COVID case rates rise
Say the word COVID more than two years after the outbreak, and we think we’ve heard it all. People shake their heads, roll their eyes, sigh – “enough” – the body language can be loud and clear. We may be done hearing about the pandemic, but — you knew there had to be a “but”…
Snohomish County announces $5 million pandemic recovery program focused on small businesses, tourism
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers Monday announced $5.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investments to support pandemic recovery efforts for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and tourism. These investments include the creation of a Small Business Innovation Assistance (SBIA) program, which provides technical assistance and grants to small businesses and entrepreneurs; and an expansion…
Puget Sound area transit agencies no longer requiring face masks
Agencies providing transit services to riders throughout the Puget Sound region announced Tuesday that face coverings will no longer be required on transit, at transit facilities or in transit hubs. The change is effective immediately, and includes the following agencies: Community Transit Everett Transit King County Metro Kitsap Transit Pierce Transit Seattle Department of Transportation…
State Board of Health votes against requiring COVID-19 vaccines for K-12 students
The Washington State Board of Health on Wednesday voted not to include COVID-19 in the state’s immunization requirements for K-12 students to attend school. According to The Seattle Times, the vote comes after the board’s technical advisory group voted at the end of February to recommend against adding a COVID vaccine to the list of…
COVID recovery dollars: From housing to child care, Snohomish County outlines plans for spending $340 million
We don’t often use the words “COVID” and “money” in the same sentence. But the pandemic triggered a tidal wave of government spending — and Snohomish County is about to get another $80 million to help Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and the rest of the county recover from the upheaval of the past two years….
State audit finds issues with how City of Edmonds used pandemic relief funds
In an audit released Thursday morning, the Washington State Auditor’s Office found that the City of Edmonds did not comply with requirements governing the distribution of federal COVID-19 relief funds in 2020. During a Tuesday exit conference with Edmonds city councilmembers and staff regarding the findings, Assistant Audit Manager Kirk Gadbois noted the issue is…
Health Department: Second COVID-19 booster dose recommended for certain individuals
People age 50 and older and certain immunocompromised individuals can now get a second booster dose of an mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) COVID-19 vaccine at least four months after receiving their initial booster dose. The Washington State Department of Health said Wednesday it has updated its booster dose recommendations following guidance from the U.S. Food…
During media briefing, county health officer discusses Healthy Youth Survey results, latest COVID numbers
After a brief update on COVID-19 cases in Snohomish County — which are continuing to drop — County Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters spent most of his time during a Tuesday afternoon media briefing talking about the just-released results of the 2021 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey, which included more than 15,000 students in the…
Department of Health outlines next phase of Washington’s COVID-19 response
The Washington State Department of Health on Thursday released its long-term ForWArd plan for the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and “co-exist with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future,” the department said in a news release. To date, more than 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across Washington, which the department says…
As masking requirements end, some reminders from the Snohomish Health District
With the statewide mask order lifting at midnight Friday, masks become optional in most public settings but still are required in certain venues or situations. Though local health jurisdictions have the authority to put in place mask requirements at the county level, the Snohomish Health District said in a Friday news release it is aligning…
Edmonds School District to lift indoor, outdoor mask mandates March 14
Updated with clarification that both indoor and outdoor mandates end March 14. The Edmonds School District announced Tuesday night it will be lifting both its indoor and outdoor mask mandates in schools and district offices starting Monday, March 14. The school district “will continue to recommend masking, however, it will be an individual or family…
COVID briefing: With most mask mandates ending March 12, county leaders celebrate good news
In the shortest COVID briefing of the pandemic — just 15 minutes — Snohomish County officials celebrated the good news as we move to end mandatory masking and concentrate on what County Executive Dave Somers called our “focus toward recovery.” A sign of that – the county will go to once-a-month COVID briefings starting in…
State indoor mask requirements to be lifted at midnight March 12
With declining COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Monday that the state will be lifting its mask requirements as of 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 11. The state is also moving from mask requirements to mask recommendations in schools. Inslee had previously announced Feb. 17 that statewide mask orders will be ending…
Snohomish Health District adjusting COVID testing, vaccine schedules to meet current needs
As Snohomish County COVID-19 case counts continue to decline — and nearly 80% of eligible residents having received at least one COVID vaccine — the Snohomish Health District said it is adjusting its current vaccination and testing operations to meet current needs. The Everett site, located at 3715 Oakes Ave., will continue to be open Monday…
Statewide indoor mask orders to end March 21; Edmonds School Board to discuss mask policy at Feb. 22 meeting
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday that statewide mask orders will be ending for most indoor settings March 21, including K-12 schools and child care facilities. Masks will still be required in health care settings such as hospitals, outpatient and dental offices, long term care settings, and correctional facilities. “The virus has changed significantly over the…