EVERETT —As the spread of the coronavirus continues to slow in Snohomish County, the upcoming Labor Day weekend will put residents’ resolve to the test, officials said Tuesday.
New case counts for the potentially deadly virus dropped to a rate of 54 per 100,000 residents in the two-week period that ended Aug. 29 — another decline since a peak of 96 cases in early July.
And the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus is also the lowest it’s been in the county since early June, according to the Snohomish Health District’s latest tally.
That report also recorded a drop in the number of people acquiring COVID-19 from friends or other close contacts. For the first time in weeks, more people were infected with the virus through random community transmission as opposed to, say, a gathering of friends or family.
When cases peaked in July, it was due in part to large gatherings of young people expanding their social circles while not wearing masks. Public health workers traced confirmed cases back to 30 get-togethers on July 4 alone.
Now, with a long holiday weekend and a forecast for warm weather, Snohomish County’s public health officer is hoping to avoid another surge.
“We’ve made tremendous strides over the last month. We don’t want to lose that momentum or risk going backwards,” said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish Health District at his weekly news conference.
Spitters said gatherings need to be limited to no more than five people, preferably from the same household. People need to wear a face covering, even in outdoor settings when you cannot maintain at least six feet of physical distance from others, he said.
Results of a recently completed survey in the county found widespread mask-wearing by those entering indoor businesses but far less adherence to the statewide mandate by people as they walked on busy streets or engaged in activities in parks in outlying areas.
Ten volunteers conducted the non-scientific survey from July 22-29 and a second round from Aug. 11-15. They visited 23 business sites and 15 outdoor settings across the county. In all, they tallied roughly 3,500 observations.
Spitters said volunteers observed nearly every person entering a commercial setting donned a face covering. At transit centers, compliance ranged from 73% in the morning to 96% in the evening, while two-thirds of those seen at community parks wore a face covering.
Volunteers witnessed “very low” compliance among those recreating in larger regional parks, he said. The percentage rose slightly among those seen on busy streets.
While case counts continue to decline, the rate is still too high for Spitters to endorse a return of students to public school campuses on a regular basis. The school year began Tuesday in two districts, Arlington and Darrington, with 11 others opening this week and next.
Health experts, including Spitters, say a county should be at or below 25 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period before school districts consider reopening their campuses for in-person instruction.
Snohomish County was below that mark entering June. Then the county moved into Phase 2 of the governor’s “Safe Start” reopening plan, and in July cases spiked, spurring Spitters to recommend districts start with 100% remote learning this fall.
Last month, Gov. Jay Inslee outlined a recommendation by health and education leaders that divides the state’s 39 counties into categories of low, moderate and high risk, based on their respective infection rates.
At the time, Snohomish County was in the high-risk grouping because its rate exceeded 75 cases per 100,000 residents. Now it is in the moderate or intermediate category, which is between 25 and 75 cases.
In those counties, schools should consider in-person learning options for elementary students and those with special needs while maintaining distance learning for middle school and high school students, according to the guidelines.
Spitters said reopening for in-person learning for counties at the intermediate rate of transmission is still “risky.”
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, speaking at the same news conference, said that from his vantage point it is “pretty unlikely” students of any grade level would be back on campus this fall on a large scale.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dospueblos.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
