covid-19 Archives - Page 10 of 16 - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Governor Orders Furloughs, Cancels Some Pay Raises As Washington Shows $9B Drop In Revenues

By Austin Jenkins June 17, 2020

This chart shows Washington state revenues dropping by seven percent in fiscal year 2021, but increasing in subsequent years. CREDIT: Economic and Revenue Forecast Council

In a move not seen since the Great Recession, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday canceled pay raises for some state employees and ordered furloughs for many more through at least this fall. The move came the same day a new state revenue forecast projected an $8.8 billion drop in tax collections over the next three years.Read More

Judge Denies Request To Force Coronavirus Safety Measures At Trump’s Tulsa Rally

By NPR News June 17, 2020

Katrina Cotton, center, of Houston poses for a photo Monday with her daughter, Kennedy Cotton, 7, at the Black Wall Street Memorial in Tulsa, Okla. CREDIT: Sue Ogrocki/AP

The lawsuit says the rally, which is to take place at a 19,000-seat indoor arena, could act as a superspreader event for the coronavirus. Read More

Now Showing At The Drive-In: Class Of 2020 High School Graduation

By Tom Banse June 17, 2020

Slightly more than 100 vehicles entered the Port Townsend Wheel-In Motor Movie drive-in for the high school graduation ceremony in June 2020. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

An iconic, but disappearing American institution -- the drive-in movie theater -- came to the rescue of the senior classes in several Pacific Northwest communities this month. As luck would have it, a drive-in cinema is well suited for a socially-distanced graduation ceremony.Read More

Jay Inslee Visits Yakima As County Continues To Grow As State’s Coronavirus Hotspot

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa June 16, 2020

File photo. Gov. Jay Inslee visited Yakima, shown here on June 16, 2020, as the county's coronavirus numbers continued to grow at a rate that suggested it would be hard for it to move beyond Phase 1 of reopening. The Health District then issued a masking directive to encourage more use of face coverings. Courtesy of Governor's Office

A survey by the Yakima Health District found that just 35 percent of residents wear masks in public. That spurred the health district to issue a masking directive, hoping to get 80% of residents to use face coverings.Read More

New Washington Phone Hotline Serves People Struggling With COVID-19 Issues

By Doug Nadvornick June 16, 2020

The new Washington Listens line for people struggling with Covid-related issues is funded by a federal emergency management grant. CREDIT: Washington DOH

The state of Washington has opened a new statewide toll-free telephone hotline for people who are struggling during the Covid pandemic.Read More

WNBA To Return In July With Shorter Season, No Fans

By NPR News June 16, 2020

The Washington Mystics play in Game 5 of basketball's WNBA Finals in October. The league, which postponed the start of its season due to the coronavirus, announced plans to reopen in July. CREDIT: Alex Brandon/AP

The WNBA has announced plans for a shortened season to be held in Florida, a neutral site. It's the first time that all teams' players will train and play in the same location.Read More

Retail Sales Bounce Up 17.7% After Record Drop As States Reopen

By NPR News June 16, 2020

Social distancing instructions are posted at California's Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall on June 12, as local businesses enter Phase 3 reopening. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Spending is still nowhere near last year's. But as more states and cities allowed restaurants and shopping centers to reopen, May saw a big swing from a historic collapse in March and April.Read More

FDA Withdraws Emergency Use Authorization Of Hydroxychloroquine For COVID-19 Treatment

By NPR News June 15, 2020

A bottle of hydroxychloroquine tablets in Texas City, Texas. The Food and Drug Administration has rescinded its emergency use authorization for the drug. CREDIT: David J. Phillip/AP

Emergency use authorization makes it easier for doctors to use a drug in a manner not specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA granted these drugs this status in March.Read More

A New Library Of Congress Project Commissions Music Of The Pandemic

By NPR News June 14, 2020

Allison Loggins-Hull and Nathalie Joachim are two of the artists featured in the Library of Congress' Boccaccio Project, a collection of songs inspired by the coronavirus pandemic. CREDIT: Erin Patrice O'Brien/Courtesy of the artist

The Library of Congress is debuting 10 works of new music about the COVID-19 pandemic. The project takes inspiration from Giovanni Boccaccio, a writer who collected stories about the Black Death.Read More

Coronavirus Closed The Border. This Bellingham – BC Couple Was Stuck On Opposite Sides

By NWPB News June 14, 2020

Ryan Hamilton and Savannah Koop had planned to marry on May 8, and then the border closing due to the pandemic changed their plans. CREDIT: Eilis O'Neill /KUOW

When COVID-19 caused border closures, a woman from British Columbia and her fiancé in Washington were unable to see each other — not even for their wedding.Read More

During Pandemic, Yakima Farmworkers Kept Their Jobs, Raising Risk Of Infection

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa June 13, 2020

Farmworkers in Yakima's fruit-packing industry walked off production lines in May and went on strike, demanding more protections against the coronavirus pandemic. Above, Emmanuel Anguiano-Mendoza (left) and Agustin López hold posters featuring David Cruz, a worker who died on May 30. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB

Yakima County has the most COVID-19 cases per capita among West Coast states. The largely Latinx agricultural workforce helped secure the backbone of the local economy.Read More

Coronavirus 2nd Wave? Nope, The U.S. Is Still Stuck In The 1st One

By NPR News June 12, 2020

People rest inside social distancing markers at Domino Park in the Brooklyn borough of New York in late May. Stay-at-home orders in New York helped to lower the state's "reproduction number," which estimates how many people one sick person could infect with the coronavirus. CREDIT: Michael Nagle/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

The nation still sees more than 20,000 new cases on average a day, a number that's barely budged for weeks. Forecasters say we're looking at tens of thousands more deaths this summer.Read More

Nursing Homes Run Short Of COVID-19 Protective Gear As Federal Response Falters

By NPR News June 11, 2020

Kelly Womochil, an aide at Enterprise Estates Nursing Center in Enterprise, Kan., tries on a poncho that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending to nursing homes to protect against the coronavirus. CREDIT: Pamela Black

At least 711 nursing homes reported running out of N95 masks at the end of May, and 1,963 said they had less than a week's worth. "The federal government has got to step up," says one advocate.Read More

‘More Than Cows And Cotton Candy’: Washington Fairs Cancel Events For 2020, Hoping For Big 2021

By Nicholas Deshais June 11, 2020

The Benton-Franklin Fair and Rodeo won't take place in 2020, but it hopes to return bigger and stronger in 2021. It's just one of 65 county and state fairs in Washington to have called off events this year. Courtesy of Benton-Franklin Fair and Rodeo

The Spokane Interstate Fair and Benton-Franklin Fair and Rodeo joined more than 40 others that have canceled this year. In all, Washington has 65 state and county fairs every summer and fall. Read More

Idaho Moves Statewide Into Its Phase 4, Meaning ‘100% Of Businesses’ Can Reopen, Governor Says

By Doug Nadvornick June 11, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little, left, announces stricter guidelines for social interactions to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, and also livestreaming the discussion, at his office in Boise on March 18, 2020. CREDIT: Keith Ridler/AP

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has announced his state will move to the final phase of its reopening strategy, beginning Saturday. Visitors can go see loved ones in those facilities. Night clubs and large sporting venues can reopen. Non-essential travel can continue to areas that are accepting visitors and which don’t have coronavirus transmission problems.Read More

Federal Reserve Vows To Help Economy Weather The Pandemic Recession

By NPR News June 10, 2020

An employee sets a table for pickup orders at a restaurant in Arlington, Va. Even as states are moving to reopen their economies, tens of millions are out of work. CREDIT: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

The Fed leaves interest rates near zero as expected, and promises to use all of its tools to support the economy. Officials project unemployment above 9% at the end of this year.Read More

Impaired Driving Declined During Pandemic, Though Not Because People Are Drinking Less

By Tom Banse June 10, 2020

DUI arrests by Washington state troopers dropped by 46 percent during the coronavirus pandemic. CREDIT: Washington Traffic Safety Commission

Impaired driving citations dropped sharply across Oregon and Washington this spring during the coronavirus pandemic. There are multiple possible explanations for the decline, but people drinking and using drugs less does not appear to be a likely one.Read More

COVID-19 Infections And Deaths Are Higher Among Those With Intellectual Disabilities

By NPR News June 9, 2020

Source: New York State Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, New York Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. CREDIT: Stephanie Adeline/NPR

There's growing evidence of high rates of death from COVID-19 for a population that doesn't get a lot of attention: people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.Read More

Idaho Advocacy Group Sues To Get More Time For Ballot Measure Signature Gathering

By Doug Nadvornick June 9, 2020

Amy Pratt personally collected more than 1,000 signatures to help get Proposition 2 on the ballot. It's the first time she's been politically active and she has no plans of stopping. CREDIT: JAMES DAWSON / BSPR

Idaho’s signature gathering window was interrupted in mid-March due to coronavirus restrictions. Now, Reclaim Idaho hopes to put a public school funding initiative on the November ballot by asking a federal judge for extra time to collect signatures.Read More

It’s Official: The U.S. Economy Is In A Recession. How Long Will It Last Is Uncertain

By NPR News June 8, 2020

Boxes of food are loaded on vehicles last month at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. The country has officially entered a recession amid the pandemic, the National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday. CREDIT: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

The committee tasked with marking U.S. business cycles says the economy peaked in February and has since been in a recession triggered by the pandemic. But it says the recession could be short-lived.Read More

Frustrated By Delayed Unemployment Benefits, Laid Off Workers Turn To Washington Supreme Court

By Tom Banse June 6, 2020

Laid-off restaurant worker Katrina Thiessen is frustrated by the weeks-long delay in having her unemployment claim approved.

Frustration with long delays in getting jobless benefits is boiling over into a lawsuit against the Washington State Employment Security Department. Attorneys representing two laid off workers and the nonprofit Unemployment Law Project filed the case directly with the state Supreme Court on Friday.Read More

As Casinos Reopen In Las Vegas, Stakes Are High And Union Calls For Transparency

By NPR News June 5, 2020

Hand washing stations now share the casino floor with slot machines at the Bellagio. It's part of a move to ramp up hygiene protocols ahead of the establishment's reopening on June 4. CREDIT: David Fuchs/KUER

Casinos is Las Vegas are reopening Thursday, after being shuttered for more than two months. Workers there are eager to start getting paid again, but they're also worried about their health.Read More

During Pandemic, Opponents Of Oregon Partisan Redistricting Pursue New Ballot Initiative Strategy

By NWPB News June 4, 2020

This package was sent to a half-million Oregon households containing petitions for an initiative that would take congressional and legislative redistricting out of the hands of the Oregon Legislature.

The COVID-19 pandemic has killed several would-be initiative campaigns in Oregon because organizers can’t send canvassers out to gather the tens of thousands of signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot.Read More

Okanogan Public Health Workers Report Hostile Threats And Fears About Contact Tracing

By NPR News June 3, 2020

At the Salt Lake County Health Department, a woman teaches new contact tracers on May 19 how to identify potential new exposures after a person tests positive for the coronavirus

Online misinformation is fueling a backlash in some places against coronavirus containment strategies such as contact tracing and isolation. Some health officials have even received violent threats.Read More

Millions Of Americans Skip Payments As Tidal Wave Of Defaults And Evictions Looms

By NPR News June 3, 2020

Jonathan Baird and his wife, Nichole, say they've had to decide between making their car payment and buying food since she lost her job in the pandemic. His mortgage and auto lenders told him he didn't qualify for help.

Hardship programs appear to be helping many people pause payments and survive the economic shutdown so far. But not everybody is getting the help, and advocates see big potential trouble ahead.Read More

No Evidence Hydroxychloroquine Is Helpful In Preventing COVID-19, Study Finds

By NPR News June 3, 2020

President Donald Trump announced in May that he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure against COVID-19. But a study published Wednesday finds no evidence the drug is protective in this way.

A study of more than 800 health workers, first responders and others finds that taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19 is no better than a placebo in preventing the illness.Read More

From Jobs To Homeownership, Protests Put Spotlight On Racial Economic Divide

By NPR News June 2, 2020

Malaysia Hammond places flowers at a memorial mural for George Floyd in Minneapolis on Sunday. Police brutality has sparked days of civil unrest. But the sparks have landed in a tinderbox built over decades of economic inequality, now exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

African Americans are 40% less likely to own their homes than whites. And blacks are more likely to hold jobs that put them at risk of the coronavirus. The civil unrest follows decades of inequality.Read More

Need A Witness For Your Mail-In Ballot? New Pandemic Lawsuits Challenge Old Rules

By NPR News June 1, 2020

An election worker in Renton, Wash., begins processing mail-in ballots during that state's presidential primary in March. Varying state-by-state requirements around signatures and other rules have become the focus of legal fights as absentee voting expands due to the pandemic

Among the main targets are requirements such as signing a ballot envelope, or getting a witness or notary to sign it. Small details matter a lot and could affect the outcome in November.Read More

‘Public Health Has Been Politicized’: Spokane Case Highlights Complexity In Quarantine Orders

By Nicholas Deshais May 30, 2020

Mordecai L. Cochrane was one of at least 49 employees at a Spokane food plant to test positive for COVID-19. He also had two DUIs over five days, causing police to quarantine due to exposure. Courtesy of Spokane County Jail

As the coronavirus pandemic continues across the world, local health officials in Washington are beginning to employ a power given to them by state law that allows to keep contagious people in quarantine.Read More

Washington’s ‘Stay Home’ Order Ends June 1, With State Moving To County-By-County Approach

By NWPB News May 29, 2020

A COVID-19 test kit. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has instructed state health officials to test all nursing home staff and residents in the coming weeks, according to a state doctor.

Gov. Jay Inslee's stay-at-home order will end at midnight on May 31. Instead, state officials will use a phased plan outlined at the beginning of the month to govern county-by-county reopening permissions.Read More

A Bellingham Doctor Lost His Job After Criticizing His Hospital On COVID-19. Now He’s Suing.

By NPR News May 29, 2020

Dr. Ming Lin was fired from his position as an emergency room physician at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Washington after publicly complaining about the hospital's infection control procedures during the pandmic.

Dr. Ming Lin was let go in March from a hospital in Bellingham, Wash., after posting criticisms and suggestions on social media. The ACLU is helping him sue for damages and job reinstatement. Read More

Idaho Moves To Phase 3 Of 4-Stage Reopening Plan

By Doug Nadvornick May 29, 2020

File photo. Gov. Brad Little speaks March 13, 2020 at a news conference. On Wednesday, April 15, he extended a stay-at-home order to the end of April, saying it’s needed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. CREDIT: Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP

Idaho Governor Brad Little announced Thursday his state is ready to move on to the next phase of its coronavirus reopening plan, beginning Saturday, May 30.Read More

40.8 Million Out Of Work In The Past 10 Weeks — 26% Of Labor Force

By NPR News May 28, 2020

A Seattle barbershop remains closed because of the coronavirus outbreak on May 19. Last week, an additional 2.1 million people filed for unemployment benefits around the country.

More than 1 in 4 U.S. workers have lost their jobs since coronavirus shutdowns began. Last week, an additional 2.1 million people filed for unemployment benefits.Read More

Antibody Tests Point To Lower Death Rate For The Coronavirus Than First Thought

By NPR News May 28, 2020

People line up in mid-April in Chelsea, Mass., to get antibody tests for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Tests for the immune response to the coronavirus are revealing thousands of people who were infected but never got severely ill. The findings suggest the virus is less deadly than it first appeared.Read More

In Pendleton, Rounding Up High Schoolers For A Graduation Before Grabbing Life By The Horns

By Anna King May 28, 2020

Pendleton High School senior Marcus Aaron Luke, left, was excited and ready for his last year running track. Then coronavirus disrupted everyone's plans. CREDIT: Marcus Luke (father)

Marcus Aaron Luke was a leader on his varsity track team, and also a senior at Pendleton High School. Now, like seniors everywhere, he’s missing a traditional graduation. But the city’s famous Round-Up grounds have a fix.Read More

New Guidelines For In-Person Religious Services As Washington Continues Phased Reopening

By NWPB News May 27, 2020

Father Jose Alvarez, right, during walk and drive through confessions on Friday, April 24, 2020, in the parking lot at Holy Roman Catholic Church in White Center. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is allowing religious services to resume – but with restrictions. In Phase 1 counties, outdoor services with up to 100 people are now allowed. In counties approved for Phase 2, indoor services are allowed at 25-percent capacity or with fewer than 50 people, whichever is less.Read More

9 Songs That Show How People Of The Past Coped With Pandemics

By PBS Newshour May 27, 2020

A work of art by Pierart dou Tielt illustrates the people of Tournai burying victims of the Black Death circa 1353.

Throughout history, people have turned to music during disease outbreaks as a way to seek spiritual guidance, express pain or even educate others about hygiene. The current moment is no exception.Read More

Some Countries Have Brought New Cases Down To Nearly Zero. How’d They Do It?

By NPR News May 27, 2020

It's a diverse mix of places — New Zealand, Vietnam, Germany, Costa Rica. A look at the keys to their success in controlling the coronavirus.Read More

Tourism-Dependent Methow Valley Wishes Tourists Would Stay Closer To Home For Now

By Courtney Flatt May 26, 2020

Old Schoolhouse Brewery owner Jacob Young serves food to his customers. He says when there's little smoke and fires are far away, he sees more patrons.CREDIT: COURTNEY FLATT

Photos circulating on social media showed cars lining streets of downtown Winthrop and along roads on the Interstate 90 corridor. The concern is that people can bring the coronavirus into these small towns that have fewer medical resources already available.Read More

National Parks Hope Visitors Comply With Virus Measures

By NWPB News May 26, 2020

Visitors watch as Old Faithful erupts on the day the park partially reopened after a two-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, at Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Officials at Yellowstone and other national parks plan to let tourists mostly police themselves and not intervene much to enforce social distancing.

Now, as Yellowstone and other national parks end a two-month shutdown due to the coronavirus, park officials ask visitors to take simple precautions: wash hands, keep a safe distance apart, wear protective face coverings in public.Read More

Pandemic Puts A Crimp On Voter Registration, Potentially Altering Electorate

By NPR News May 26, 2020

A voter registration volunteer in Philadelphia in 2018. New registrations had surged going into 2020 but have dropped off dramatically as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Most places where Americans usually register to vote have been closed since March. It's led to a big drop in new registrations right before an election that was expected to see record turnout.Read More

Trump Team Killed Obama Rule Designed To Protect Health Workers From Pandemic Like COVID-19

By NPR News May 26, 2020

Health care workers hold a placard that says From Heroes to Zeroes during a protest against hospital under-staffing and insufficient personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses treating COVID-19 patients amid the coronavirus pandemic. The protest took place outside Saint Joseph Medical Center hospital in Burbank, Calif. on May 19.

"If that rule had gone into effect, then every hospital, every nursing home would essentially have to have a plan," said David Michaels, former Occupational Safety and Health Administration chief.Read More

A Novel Virus Exposes An Old Rift Within Idaho’s GOP

By NWPB News May 26, 2020

Gov. Brad Little delivers his State of the State address on Jan. 6, with Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin seated behind him. McGeachin has been among the state’s most vocal critics of Little’s coronavirus response. CREDIT: Sami Edge/Idaho EdNews

In Idaho, the divide between Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin is something we all could see coming — grounded, in part, by the fact that Idaho elects its governors and lieutenant governors independently. Little has no more say in this matter than any individual Idaho voter. Read More

WHO Halts Hydroxychloroquine Trial Over Safety Concerns

By NPR News May 25, 2020

A pharmacy tech pours out pills of hydroxychloroquine May 20 at Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on May 20, 2020. After a study found COVID-19 patients using the drug were dying at higher rates, the World Health Organization announced it would suspend its clinical trial. CREDIT: George Frey/AFP via Getty Images

The WHO cited a scientific study published last week suggesting that proposed COVID-19 drug hydroxychloroqine may do more harm than good in halting its study to review data.Read More

From Camping To Dining Out To Weddings: How Experts Rate The Risks Of 14 Summer Activities

By NPR News May 24, 2020

Graphic - going to the beach CREDIT: Meredith Miotke for NPR

The weather's warming up and public spaces are starting to reopen. How do you decide what's safe to do? We have guidance to help you compare and evaluate the risks.Read More

More Washington Counties Get Early Reopening Green Light, Including Spokane, Largest So Far

By NWPB News May 22, 2020

“I couldn’t be happier with the timing of all of this," Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward said Friday morning during a news conference. "Spokane County is the biggest community in the state to now move forward. So thank you for being Inland Strong."Read More

University Of Idaho Plans For In-Person Classes This Fall. WSU May, But Still Not Finalized

By Scott Leadingham May 22, 2020

In a school-wide announcement Friday, Green said UI, with its main campus in Moscow, will have in-person instruction beginning August 24. But, he said to prepare for big changes to how things have looked on campus before the pandemic. Read More

Criminal Defendants In Limbo As Trials Put On Hold During Pandemic

By PBS Newshour May 22, 2020

Interior of an empty courtroom with gavel and sounding block on the desk.

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down courtrooms around the country, criminal defense attorneys had to quickly figure out how to continue to serve their clients. Over the last two months, a combination of factors have delayed court proceedings, leaving criminal defendants in limbo as they wait for their stalled cases to move forward.Read More

Washington State Paid Out ‘Hundreds Of Millions’ In Bogus Jobless Benefits

By NWPB News May 22, 2020

A sign explains the closure of a shop in the Pike Place Market in Seattle. As the coronavirus outbreak has caused record number of people to seek unemployment benefits Washington state officials said Thursday that impostors have used the stolen information of tens of thousands of people to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment benefits.

Impostors have used the stolen information of tens of thousands of people in Washington to fraudulently receive hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment benefits, the head of the state’s Employment Security Department said Thursday.Read More

Washington Republicans Want To Block Pay Raises And Cut Spending In June Special Session

By Austin Jenkins May 22, 2020

Saying that it’s time for the legislative branch to “intervene” in the state’s COVID-19 response, Republican leaders in the Washington Legislature on Thursday called for a special session of the Legislature to begin in June.Read More