Seattle’s mayor announced on March 10 an initial recovery package to ease the financial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. “The next few months will be tough,” said Jenny Durkan. “The City is taking some initial actions by deferring utility and (business and occupation) B&O payments, and working to directly provide businesses with loans and grants.” […]
Homeless at ‘double risk’ of getting and spreading coronavirus
By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — They often don’t have places to wash their hands, struggle with health problems and crowd together in grimy camps. That’s what makes homeless people particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. Almost 200,000 people live in those conditions in the United States, according to a White House report, […]
GOP congressman’s self-quarantine tweet sparks debate
WASHINGTON — Two members of Congress, Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar, said on March 8 that they are isolating themselves after determining they had contact at a political conference in suburban Washington with a man who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Cruz (R-Texas) said he had brief contact with the man […]
Dogs, cats can’t pass on coronavirus, but can test positive
HONG KONG (AP) — Pet cats and dogs cannot pass the new coronavirus on to humans, but they can test positive for low levels of the pathogen if they catch it from their owners. That’s the conclusion of Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department after a dog in quarantine tested weakly positive for the […]
International District to get lighting upgrades
Seattle City Light plans to upgrade the underdeck high pressure sodium light fixtures at several overpass locations in the Chinatown-International District (ID) area this month. Existing lights will be replaced with new LED fixtures, which will increase visibility and improve pedestrian and traffic safety. The installations will also lower operations and maintenance costs for the […]
Drive-thru COVID-19 testing
A drive-thru COVID-19 employee health testing site for UW Medicine opened on March 6, at the University of Washington Medical Center – Northwest in north Seattle. Testing is provided to UW Medicine staff, faculty, and trainees who have symptoms or an upper respiratory infection—fever, a new cough, and shortness of breath.
“Meet Sonny Singh, Red Baraat’s perpetual-motion horn man”
Most Americans seeing a turban-wearing Sikh, with a long beard, would not automatically assume such a man called Charlotte, N.C., his home, growing up.
Women leaders
International Women’s Day was on March 8—celebrated every year around the world. This year, we wanted to highlight the women leading our city, and the world.
BLOG: How to keep your cool during the coronavirus outbreak
A friend called to complain about fake Chinese news websites, spreading rumors about coronavirus in Chinatown. “Can you write and tell people not to believe it?” she begged.
Indian women protest new citizenship laws, joining a global ‘fourth-wave’ feminist movement
By Alka Kurian The Conversation (Republished with permission) Women are among the strongest opponents of two new laws in India that threaten the citizenship rights of vulnerable groups like Muslims, poor women, oppressed castes, and LGBTQ people. The Citizenship Amendment Act, passed in December, fast-tracks Indian citizenship for undocumented refugees from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan—but […]