COVID-19 Information & Resources

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Please visit https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health.aspx for the latest COVID-19 information. 

• City of Seattle Launches #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz Map with Sammamish and Partner Cities Across the Region

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  Currently, There Are 2,581 Small Businesses in the #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz Map

  16 Partner Cities and Counties Participating in Relaunched Map

  “Sammamish is excited to be included in this project, as we have some fantastic independently owned restaurants. This tool gives residents another way to support neighbors and businesses during these changing times.” -- Mayor of Sammamish, Karen Moran

  Seattle (April 28, 2020) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the City of Seattle’s new #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz map, which helps residents find small businesses providing takeout or delivery in their neighborhood. The map allows users to search for open small businesses in their neighborhood and navigate directly to a business’ website or third-party delivery service page. After launching the Seattle-specific map in late March, municipalities from across the region reached out to the Seattle Department of Information Technology (ITD) and asked to participate. To date, 16 cities and counties are participating in the #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz map, and each municipality is working with its local economic development organizations to ensure restaurants are added to the map.

  The #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz map has received over 230,000 views, and averages nearly 2,200 visits per day. There are currently 2,600 small businesses in the map spread across King County, Pierce County and Snohomish County. The map began as part of the City’s #SupportSeattleSmallBiz campaign, which asks residents to post pictures and videos from their favorite Seattle restaurants, bars, cafes, and breweries that are doing delivery, to-go, and drive-through with #SupportSeattleSmallBiz and tag @SeattleEconomy.

  “At the City, we’re doing everything we can locally to support our small businesses during this unprecedented moment in history,” said Mayor Durkan. “We’ve invested millions of dollars directly in our most vulnerable small businesses and are working with our partners across government and in the private sector help many who are struggling. We have also capped third-party commission fees at 15 percent to ensure takeout and delivery remain viable financial options for our restaurants. With many of our neighborhood restaurants still open, communities across our region can support small businesses by ordering pickup or delivery during this time. I’m grateful to our community partners who helped shape our map and make it a reality.”

  “I am excited to partner and collaborate with other cities across the region in this innovative way in support of our local restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside work to address our shared public health and safety priorities, actions like these help us preserve the character that businesses bring to our communities during this crisis,” said Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards.

  To use the map, residents can enter their location or drop a pin and find all the available restaurants near them. Once they select their restaurant, they can place a takeout or delivery order directly through the app or can receive directions to the restaurant. The map also connects users directly to third-party delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Caviar to easily patronize a restaurant. Seattle Information Technology (ITD) built the map, and staff from municipalities across the Puget Sound partnered with community leaders and small business owners to populate the map with businesses. Users can access the map here: Maps.seattle.gov/PugetSound/SupportSmallBiz.

  Restaurant, bar, café, and brewery owners can enter their information into a brief survey to see their business appear on the public-facing map within minutes. To help ensure quality and consistent data, ITD has created an internal map and survey that business owners can use to enter their information. If you are a business owner and want to add yourself to the map, please email at supportsmallbiz@seattle.gov for instructions.

  The necessary statewide ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order has caused restaurants to rely solely on delivery and takeout services for revenue, and many of these restaurants rely on third-party platforms to conduct takeout and delivery for them. Each service agreement between restaurants and third-party companies varies, but some include commissions that are 30 percent or more of the purchase price. To help support restaurants, Mayor Durkan recently announced a 15 percent commission cap on third-party delivery services. This will help ensure that delivery and takeout remain viable options and don’t cause increased financial hardship.

  Mayor Durkan and the City of Seattle have worked to implement a series of actions that support artists, nonprofits, small businesses, and workers, including:

  • Deferring utility payments for customers impacted by COVID-19;
  • Implementing a temporary moratorium on residential, small business, and nonprofit evictions to provide relief for working people financially impacted by COVID-19;
  • Creating temporary restaurant loading zones to facilitate curbside pickup at restaurants;
  • Announcing a small business relief package that included deferred business taxes and a $2.5M stabilization fund;
  • Creating a new Arts Recovery Package to provide immediate financial relief to artists and cultural organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19;
  • Providing 6,250 Seattle families and 1,800 workers with $800 in grocery vouchers;
  • Providing rent relief to tenants of City-owned facilities; and
  • Opening emergency child care classrooms to help hundreds of kids of essential workers;
  • Partnering with United Way of King County and King County to invest $5 million in rental assistance to help families stay in their homes.
  • Building the #SupportSeattleSmallBiz map to help residents find restaurants, bars, cafes, and breweries offering takeout or delivery in their neighborhood.

  The City of Seattle has also created a comprehensive resource page for residents and small businesses impacted by COVID-19. This page will be updated as more information becomes available.

  Sammamish residents can also find resources on the City's Connect Sammamish COVID-19 Updates site.

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• Sammamish Emergency Manager's 4/21 Report to Council on COVID-19

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  This report was provided live to Sammamish City Council on at their Regular Meeting on April 21, 2020.

  Andrew Stevens, CEM – Emergency Manager - Eastside Fire & Rescue

  Good evening Mayor, Council members, and City Manager. Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to provide a brief situational update regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and response. As of earlier today, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus globally was over 2.5 million. At over 820,000 cases, the U.S. makes up roughly 1/3^rd of that total. Cases in Washington are still on the increase with 12,282 cases statewide and 5,360 in King County alone. In Sammamish, there have been 59 positive cases and three fatalities, however Sammamish’s per capita case rate of 91.6 cases per 100,000 is the lowest in King County outside of Hunts Point, with a population 437, and Skykomish, with a population of 222.

  The low rate of transmission and contraction of the virus in Sammamish is a testament of our population's willingness to comply with all public health recommendation and non-pharmaceutical interventions, most importantly, social distancing. Our community has been able to demonstrate considerable resiliency throughout the past seven weeks, but it is not time to relax or become complacent in those efforts.

  Public health experts are recommending that the non-pharmaceutical orders currently in place remain in effect until either 1) a vaccine or preventative treatment is made widely available, or 2) the following conditions are met:

  • Healthcare professionals have all required and necessary PPE to safely treat patients
  • There is a sustained reduction of new COVID-19 cases for at least two weeks
  • Disease can be controlled through monitored isolation and quarantine
  • Widespread testing and the ability to obtain rapid results exists
  • Robust contact tracing is available
  • And jurisdictions have ability to protect their most vulnerable populations

  Understanding that these conditions may not be present or available for many months, all levels of government are working to develop mitigating strategies to reduce the medical, economic, social, and civil disruptions resulting from prolonged non-pharmaceutical interventions. An example of these mitigations would be the distribution of financial assistance, economic support to small businesses, support for the mental wellness of impacted individuals, and much more.

  The City of Sammamish has and continues to lean forward in support of the efforts to mitigate the impacts of not just the virus, but also the continual strain of these necessary interventions. The City is not only focusing our support locally, but also supporting and assisting in the coordination of vital services across the county.

  City staff are in constant contact with community-based organizations and non-profits who are working tirelessly to support those who are impacted, connecting them to resources and also identifying ways to connect them to funding and regional grant opportunities. The City is also partnering with communities across the county to develop a GIS restaurant map, which will highlight essential businesses that are still open and able to serve or deliver food to our populations. Recently, I was also requested to support King County’s COVID-19 response by leading a team focused on the continuity of staffing in regional food banks and distribution hubs.

  As new ways to assist those impacted by this pandemic continue to be developed and refined, the City is committed to supporting and sharing this information to our residents through the constant provision of communication on numerous platforms and in numerous languages. Our objective is to ensure that residents are well informed on how to protect themselves from this virus, but also aware of the numerous resources available to aid them through these difficult times.

  There may be frustrations with the continuation of these mitigation strategies and there may be those that claim that they are overreactions or an overstepping of government. To those individuals, may I remind them, that even with strict mitigation measures in place, roughly 45,000 Americans have already died from Coronavirus. Throughout the past two months, there were many days when the daily death totals from COVID-19 were far greater than the total losses this nation experienced during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The importance of continuing these mitigations until they can safely be rolled back cannot be understated. While difficult, this community can rally together to ensure that we all make it through this response. We can support one another, we can support our businesses when they eventually reopen, we can support the non-profits providing assistance and the food banks providing meals, and we can our part to protect the front-line workers putting their lives at risk everyday by simply staying home.

  Thank you.

• Free Mental Health & Substance Use Services for Sammamish Residents

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  CrossPath Counseling is excited to announce free youth mental health and substance use screenings and referral appointments for Sammamish youth. Please call (206) 676-2011 or email cpc@crosspathcounseling.com to set up your free screening. In addition, CrossPath has space for ongoing mental health and substance use clients for Sammamish youth, which will be offered to youth and families after the free screening and referral session. The Sammamish City Council voted earlier this year to provide special funding to support CrossPath and other organizations that address youth mental health in our community. We know this is time of unprecedented stress and upheaval for many of our city's youth and families, and we are here to help! www.crosspathcounseling.com

• Summer Event Cancellations

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  At Tuesday evening’s City Council Special Meeting, an important determination was made regarding all City-sponsored events through the summer. In order to protect the community and mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19, the City Council voted to cancel all City of Sammamish events through the end of August, as well as the 2020 Farmers Market. This was not a decision that was made lightly, and the City has the deepest regret that the community will not be able to come together to celebrate in-person during this challenging time. However, the safety of our residents is of the utmost importance. The unknown trajectory of the pandemic and the impossibility of maintaining safe social distancing at these popular events weighed heavily in the decision. We recognize the importance of our summer events in bringing the community together to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere at our Parks, and we look forward to a time when we can all celebrate Sammamish together!

  The following summer events have been canceled:

  Farmers Market – May 6, 2020 – September 16, 2020 (Wednesdays)

  Rig-A-Palooza – May 16, 2020

  Scooter Competition – June 24, 2020

  Fourth on the Plateau – July 4, 2020

  KidsFirst! Performances – July 7, 2020 – August 11, 2020 (Tuesdays)

  Concerts in the Park – July 9, 2020 – August 20, 2020 (Thursdays)

  Outdoor Movie on the Plaza – July 10, 2020 & August 14, 2020

  Shakespeare in the Park – July 18, 2020 & July 25, 2020

  Sammamish P.O.P. – Party on the Plateau – August 7, 2020 – August 8, 2020

  Any events approved through Special Use Permit – May 2020 – August 2020

  For more information on Parks programming, please contact Chris Jordan, Recreation Manager, at cjordan@sammamish.us.

• PSE Offering Bill Assistance for Customers Affected by COVID-19

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  Puget Sound Energy will make $11 million available to help customers pay bills.

  
  

  Puget Sound Energy will make funds available to help customers who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through its Crisis-Affected Customer Assistance Program (CACAP).This includes customers who recently became unemployed, partially unemployed, or cannot work.The $11 million are carry-over funds under PSE’s Low Income Program. With approval from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, PSE made revisions to its program to make these funds available to a broader group of customers.

  
  

  Funds are also available in PSE’s other assistance programs, including the Warm Home Fund, PSE Home Energy Lifeline Program, and Weatherization Assistance Program for income-eligible customers.

  
  

  “We know this pandemic is deeply affecting many of our customers, and we have been working since its start to ensure no one is without electricity, heat, or hot water during this time,” said PSE President and CEO Mary Kipp. “We are in unprecedented times, and it will take continued partnership and creativity to help as many people as possible.”

  This program will be available to PSE’s residential customers in King County and other areas who meet the household size and income criteria.

  Depending on average monthly usage, a qualified PSE customer:

  • Must have a monthly household income limit up to 250% of Federal Poverty Level
  • Can receive up to $1,000 in PSE utility-bill credits per household

  This table outlines the monthly household income limits at the Federal Poverty Level for households up to 10 people.

  

  PSE continues to offer payment plans and allow customers to change bill’s due date for those who may need additional assistance.

  For more information on this program and other program offerings, visit www.pse.com/covidhelp.

• New Emergency Feeding Program from Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank

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  Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank has rolled out a new Emergency Feeding Program that will deliver to any Sammamish resident in need. Traditionally, this agency has served only the south end of our city, with our partners at Hopelink providing services on the north end. However, for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency, Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank has very kindly agreed to deliver to all of Sammamish’s residents requiring services. Please note that this offer of citywide service applies only the Emergency Delivery Program. Get started here.

  Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank will consider the following questions in determining if your household qualifies for delivery:

  Transportation: Do you have transportation to and from the Food Bank? If so, you should utilize their pick-up model. If not, you may qualify.

  Health: Do you have a serious health condition that makes it hard for you to get to the Food Bank?

  Employment schedule: Are you part of an essential service employment team and are unable to make it to the food bank during our regular distribution hours?

  Live in our Food Bank service area: The Food Bank serves the following zip codes: 98027, 98029, 98075 and 98059. For this temporary food delivery, we will also be serving those living in the 98074 zip code.

  If you meet the criteria above, you may be eligible for temporary delivery service. Please contact Erin at erin@issaquahfoodbank.org or 425-392-4123 ext. 16 to learn more.

• Need help making rent? A new program from United Way of King County may help.

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  If you’re a King County resident who has been impacted financially by COVID-19 and are behind on your rent, you may qualify for assistance. Visit https://www.uwkc.org/renthelp/ to learn more and to apply.

• Sammamish Emergency Manager's 4/7 Report to City Council on COVID-19

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  This report was provided live to our City Council at their regular meeting on April 7, 2020.

  Report to Sammamish City Council on COVID-19

  Andrew Stevens, CEM – Emergency Manager - Eastside Fire & Rescue

  Good evening, Mayor and Council members. Two weeks ago, the global number of confirmed Coronavirus cases was just over 400,000. Today, that number has risen by over one million. At just under 390,000, the United States leads the world in positive cases, a number nearly three times larger than the next highest county. As of today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in King County is 3,462, however recent studies have shown that Stay Home, Stay Healthy order has begun to slow the spread of the virus in the State. Looking at the metrics across King County, it appears Sammamish residents have been doing their part in fighting this outbreak. Out of 39 cities in King County, only 3 have fewer number of cases per 100,000 residents. While this number may not be entirely accurate, it is still a notable accomplishment. [Resource: King County COVID-19 Data Dashboard.]

  However, this outbreak is far from over. While we should all be encouraged by some of the statistics coming out of WA State and King County, this fight will continue for many more months and we may very well see multiple spikes in cases. This is not a virus than can be contained locally, as evident by the global numbers, but must be fought with a concentrated, unified effort. While Washington has been limiting gatherings for over a month and issued a Stay at Home order more than two weeks ago, there are still nine states with no such mitigation measures in place. I urge all Sammamish residents not to be lulled into a false sense of complacency, as everyone needs to remain vigilant in this effort.

  Understanding the massive economic, psychological, and emotional toll this response is having on our community, the city has been progressively leaning forward to assess and identify ways in which we may be able to support the various non-profit, human-services, and faith-based organizations, which are all essential to the long-term recovery of our community. The City has distributed a survey to all these community stakeholders to gather information on their current capabilities, their needs, and their ability to scale up services to greater number of residents if needed. Furthermore, the City’s Human Services Coordinator is in constant contact with these organizations, is providing weekly situational reports to the EOC, and participating in semi-weekly meetings with colleagues from other Eastside Cities. The City is also continually updating the Connect Sammamish COVID-19 resource hub with new information on programs established in the County, which may support residents in need of assistance.

  On the economic front, the city is continuing to promote and share small business resources, such as the low-interest loans available through the Small Business Administration, resources from the WA Employment Security Department, and unemployment resources for individuals. We are also looking at ways which we can support local businesses, such as collaborating with the Chamber of Commerce to aid small businesses throughout the city.

  City government is continuing to function with only a slight reduction in organizational capability. Due to the early implementation of robust COVID-19 mitigations and social distancing policies, and ingenuity of City staff, we can proudly say that the City has been able to ensure the continuity of all mission essential functions without a single instance of workplace contraction of COVID-19.

  Lastly, in times of stress, and what may seem like an unending cycle of bad news, it is important to share stories of hope and resiliency. Sammamish residents have continually stepped up in support of one another throughout this crisis. Whether working on the front lines in a hospital, sewing or 3D printing masks and respirators, or picking up groceries for a vulnerable neighbor, the community is standing together. Therefore, I am asking residents to share these stories of community resiliency on our Connect.Sammamish COVID-19 web page. We do not want the hardships we are facing to define this moment, but instead, how our community has come together to support each other when it was most needed.

  Thank you.

• Governor Inslee Announces Washington Food Fund

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  Today Governor Inslee announced the launch of WA Food Fund to ensure every Washingtonian can put food on the table during this crisis. This resource will provide to Sammamish residents in need, and it also accepts donations from residents wishing to help families in the community.

  Watch the announcement video from Governor Inslee:

  
  

• Governor extends school closures for the rest of the 2019-20 school year

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  Governor Jay Inslee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal today announced the extension of school closures for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. The order keeps both public and private schools closed in accordance with the governor's original order on March 13.

  The governor's proclamation prohibits in-person instruction through June 19, with exceptions for students with disabilities and English language learners for whom distance learning would present challenges. Facilities remain accessible for limited use, including providing child care and packing take-home meals for students' families to pick up. All activities must follow Department of Health social distancing guidelines.

  "This closure is guided by science and is our greatest opportunity to keep our kids, educators and communities safe," Inslee said at a news conference Monday afternoon. "If there is any opportunity to bring students back for a few days, including graduation ceremonies for our seniors, we will continue to explore that option. That opportunity will be guided by our collective behavior and the success we can achieve with the choices we make today."

  Inslee said students' grades will not suffer as a result of the closure and encouraged them to take advantage of remaining learning opportunities. The governor also asked teachers and administrators to work together on the best path forward for the remainder of the school year.

  “There is no question about it: Our educators and school staff are absolutely dedicated to continuing to provide supports for students and their learning,” Reykdal said. “We have already seen districts step up to provide meals for students in need and child care for the children of essential workers. Over the past three weeks, they have prepared for and begun providing continuous learning for students – and this will only get better and more sophisticated over time. We will continue serving our students and we will persevere through this.”

  Read the proclamation here.