City of Bellingham issues emergency proclamation to aid in its coronarvirus response
In an effort to help prepare the city to respond more quickly to Whatcom County’s to the novel COVID-19 outbreak, Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood signed a proclamation of local emergency on Thursday.
The Bellingham City Council also announced in a second release March 12 that it is taking precautionary measures and conducting only essential business at meetings.
Fleetwood announced the proclamation signing in a city of Bellingham press release Thursday evening.
“This proclamation will allow the City of Bellingham to be nimble during this rapidly changing situation so we can make sure all available resources are committed to this event,” Fleetwood said in the release. “This proclamation is being undertaken at this time to authorize City of Bellingham departments to enter into emergency contracts and avoid other lengthy processes, so as to ensure timely action to address the outbreak.”
Fleetwood wrote that the city continues to defer to the recommendations of the Whatcom County Health Department.
In that vein, Fleetwood announced that the city is canceling or postponing all non-essential city events and meetings for more than 10 people through the end of April.
“We continue to monitor to see if further actions are necessary. We all need to do our part to protect our community, our families, and ourselves,” Fleetwood wrote.
The proclamation states city department heads or their designees are authorized to use powers without regard to the normal time requirements and formalities laid out in city policy when they are making decisions to deal with an emergency situation, though they still must follow mandatory constitutional requirements.
The proclamation remains in effect until the mayor terminates it with a written order.
Council meeting changes
The Bellingham City Council will continue to meet as scheduled, but will conduct only essential city business, postponing all presentations and non-essential items through the end of April, according to the release.
The Council announced that it has postponed public hearings originally scheduled for March 23, including consideration of an ordinance to reduce single-use plastic waste.
The 15-minute public comment period at regular meetings also has been discontinued until further notice, though general public comment can be sent in writing to the Bellingham City Council Office, 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA 98225, by email to ccmail@cob.org or by fax at 360-778-8101.
“We are committed to keeping our residents, council and staff safe,” Council President Gene Knutson said. “Public Safety is our No. 1 priority and the city is taking this pandemic very seriously. We will do our part to protect our community. We hope these measures will be temporary and we can return to a normal meeting schedule soon.”
COVID-19 in Whatcom County
Whatcom County confirmed its first case of novel coronavirus Tuesday, March 12. The county declared a public health emergency that same day. As of Thursday afternoon, Whatcom County had 19 pending tests for COVID-19, which is down from 21 on Wednesday.
The person who tested positive locally is a woman in her 60s who received medical care at St. Joseph hospital. Her condition improved, she was discharged and has been self-isolating at home. She has no known international travel history, the Whatcom County Health Department said.
On Thursday, the Lummi Indian Business Council announced in a release that one of its employees, who lives in King County, tested positive for COVID-19. The Lummi public health team took steps to identify close contacts and instructed them to self-quarantine and is working with King and Whatcom county officials to track any individuals who may be affected.
More than 128,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 4,700 deaths as of Thursday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 1,600 confirmed cases, with at least 40 deaths — most of them in Washington state.
So far, COVID-19 has spread to at least 42 states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Washington State Department of Health website reported 31 deaths and 457 confirmed cases in the state as of Thursday afternoon. Twenty-seven people have died of COVID-19 in King County, three in Snohomish County, and one in Grant County. So far, confirmed cases have been found in Clark, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom counties. The list now also includes cases that are unassigned to counties.
About coronvavirus
COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is the name of the illness that first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, before spreading to other countries, including the U.S. It is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other — what’s referred to as close contact — especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
The CDC says it’s possible to catch COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms — cough, fever, difficulty breathing — may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
Stay informed
▪ https://whatcomcounty.us/ncov. Email general questions about COVID-19 in Whatcom County to covid@co.whatcom.wa.us.
▪ doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus. Call a hotline at 1-800-525-0127 and then press # for questions about what is happening in Washington state, how the virus spreads, and what to do if you have symptoms.
▪ cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
▪ cob.org/services/safety/emergencies/Pages/covid-19.aspx
▪ https://www.lummi-nsn.gov/Website.php?PageID=215
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 7:45 AM.
