Whatcom County and cities keeping people safe and still conducting public business

Mar. 12--Government agencies around Whatcom County are taking extra measures to keep people safe during the coronavirus outbreak.

On a broad level, police, fire and emergency-management officials countywide have been preparing for years to meet such a public health crisis, Bellingham Fire Chief Bill Hewett said at the Monday night City Council meeting.

"During any mass-casualty event, those plans are always there," Hewett said. "We have those (for) any time the system gets overwhelmed."

But city officials also are taking simple steps to ensure that business can continue as usual, said Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood.

"We've been meeting daily, department heads and the emergency management team," Fleetwood told The Bellingham Herald.

Essential city services are continuing, he said.

About coronavirus

More than 121,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 4,300 deaths as of Wednesday morning, March 11, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 1,100 confirmed cases with at least 29 deaths, most of them in Washington state.

So far, COVID-19 has spread to at least 38 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 29 deaths and 366 confirmed cases in the state as of Wednesday afternoon, March 11. Twenty-six people have died of COVID-19 in King County, two in Snohomish County, and one in Grant County. So far, confirmed cases have been found in Clark, Grant, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom counties. The list now also includes cases that are unassigned to counties.

Whatcom County's first confirmed case was announced on Tuesday, March 10 and Whatcom County government declared a public health emergency to, in part, help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Sanitizing offices

Lynn Sterbenz, emergency manager, said city offices and facilities are being cleaned with more care, the city has obtained a stock of hand sanitizer, and arrangements were being made for more telecommuting and teleconferencing for city business.

Other simple measures include disinfecting pens and countertops used by the public at city offices.

And employees are encouraged to stay home if they're sick.

Large, non-essential city-sponsored meetings and events have been canceled or postponed through the end of April.

Libraries remain open, but events that draw 10 or more people are canceled through the end of April.

Public Works Department officials were asking residents to dispose of disinfecting wipes in the trash -- not in the toilet.

Similar measures were being taken in Ferndale, city spokesman Riley Sweeney wrote in an email.

Employees are being urged to wash their hands more frequently, stay home if they're sick and practice social distancing.

"The janitorial services we employ have been instructed to upgrade all their surface cleaning," Sweeney wrote. "We are looking into online options for council meetings but no decisions have been made as of yet. We have canceled a few non-essential board and commission meetings and continue to look ahead for other opportunities to keep everyone safe."

Lummi Nation is discouraging travel by car or air to areas where outbreaks have been reported, such as California and King and Snohomish counties in Washington, Northwest Indian College shared on its Facebook page.

Healthy workers

Arden Landry, executive assistant and communications coordinator in the County Executive's Office, said a coronavirus FAQ sheet was sent to all country workers.

"Additionally we have daily staff updates on our intranet that follow the Health Department daily updates on the website," Landry wrote in an email. "We have increased janitorial cleaning of all public spaces and encouraged individual departments to have hand sanitizer and wipes readily available."

Lynden Mayor Scott Korthuis wrote in an email that the city of Lynden is asking its employees to follow personal hygiene guidelines from state and county health departments.

"In addition, city employees wipe down all counters where the public is served, work surfaces, door handles, etc., at least once a day. Conference tables used for small meetings are likewise wiped down before and after use.,"

"Interior doors are left open to minimize people touching handles," Korthuis wrote. "Although we were fortunate enough to have an adequate amount of hand sanitizers and wipe cloths on hand, we are prepared to make our own if that supply runs out. Of course, we have encouraged anyone displaying any of the COVID-19 symptoms to stay at home, just as we would encourage anyone with symptoms of cold or flu. Our first responders are taking extra care when engaging the public."

Korthuis said that no facilities were closed or events canceled so far.

For those who follow government issues, both Bellingham City Council and Whatcom County Council meetings can be watched live online and are archived at the city and county websites for on-demand streaming.

"We maintain control over our own actions, and we need to take care of ourselves and follow the basic personal prevention measures recommended by our Health Department that protect us from this disease," Fleetwood said in a statement. "This is a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation, and we are in constant communication with the county. There is no need to panic, but we all need to do what we can to make sure our community is safe."

First responders

Extra measures are being taken to protect the health and safety of police officers and firefighters, Sterbenz said.

All police officers -- even plainclothes personnel -- have been ordered to be "patrol ready" and have uniforms and gear handy in case they need to supplement officers on the street, she told The Bellingham Herald.

Steps were also being taken in the event that public buildings must be closed, she said.

"But we're not there yet," Fleetwood said.

Emergency dispatchers and firefighters countywide always take extra precautions when patients show signs of flu or respiratory ailments, but now they are using more in-depth screenings.

"It's pretty simple," Bellingham Fire Capt. Dave Pethic said via text message. "Just a series of extra questions being asked to try and identify potential infections."

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