AlertSeattle: COVID-19 Subscribers – This alert provides new and updated information and links to City of Seattle programs and services for residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also contains helpful city, county, state and federal resources.
SEATTLE NEWS
- Following Successful Downtown Seattle Vaccination Clinic Opening, City of Seattle’s West Seattle Clinic Opens on Friday, October 29
- City of Seattle launches $16 million Seattle Relief Fund to help low-income residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
- Mayor Durkan and City Council Announce $2 Million for Small Businesses and Organizations Most Impacted by Vaccine Verification Requirements
GOVERNOR’S OFFICE, WA STATE DEPARTMENTS, AND KING COUNTY NEWS
- COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Ages 5-11 Authorized: What to Expect in the First Week
- Vaccine Verification Now Required for Many Activities in King County
- Booster doses now available for all three COVID-19 vaccine types for certain individuals
- New insight into COVID-19 outbreaks at Washington state schools
- COVID-19 infections among children and youth slowing after months of steady growth
- Children ages 5 – 11 now eligible for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
NEW OR UPDATED RESOURCES AND SERVICES
For the full list of resources and services, visit www.seattle.gov/mayor/covid-19.
COVID-19 Vaccine Information
COVID-19 vaccines are now available to everyone age 5 and older. If you are eligible, you can find the nearest vaccine provider at: https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/.
Starting this Nov. 5, City of Seattle vaccination clinics at Amazon downtown and West Seattle will begin administering pediatric doses (doses for children 5 – 11 years old) by appointment only. With nearly 183,000 five to eleven year olds in King County now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, doses will be extremely limited for the next two weeks.
Residents who need language interpretation, help finding a vaccination or testing site, or ADA accommodation can call the King County COVID-19 Call Center at (206) 477-3977, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Learn more at the City of Seattle COVID-19 vaccination page: seattle.gov/vaccine.
Free COVID-19 Testing
UW Medicine is offering free COVID-19 testing for people who live, work, or regularly visit Seattle. Drive-through and walk-up testing are available. While testing is free, if you have medical insurance, please bring your insurance card or proof of insurance. Language interpretation is available. To learn more about these sites, please visit the City of Seattle COVID-19 Free Testing page.
City of Seattle Relief Fund (NEW)
The City of Seattle launched a new Seattle Relief Fund to help low-income residents who have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes households that were unable to access state unemployment, had no health insurance, didn’t receive federal stimulus payments, or experienced housing instability or mental health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Award amounts are between $1,000 and $3,000 depending on household size. The fund is open to all eligible Seattle residents regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. Eligible applicants must be 18 years old or older, have incomes under 50 percent of Seattle’s area median income (less than $40,500 for an individual or $57,850 for a family of four), and have at least one of these situations apply to the individual or to a household member:
- Live within the boundaries of the city of Seattle, or
- Be enrolled in the Seattle Promise program, or
- Be enrolled in Seattle Public Schools, or
- Be an artist/cultural worker who has owned or rented an art studio or rehearsal space within the boundaries of the City of Seattle at any time since March 2020.
Applicants can access the online application in one of eight languages.
City of Seattle Small Business Stabilization Fund (NEW)
The Office of Economic Development is investing an additional $4 million to stabilize micro and small businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19 by providing cash grants through the Small Business Stabilization Fund. Funded by the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CLFR) established under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Stabilization Fund will provide $5,000, $10,000 and $20,000 grants to be used on operational expenses such as rent, wages, equipment and more. The deadline for applications is November 9 at 11:59 p.m.
For more information about eligibility and applying for funds, including information in Amharic, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese, visit www.seattle.gov/office-of-economic-development/small-business/small-business-programs/stabilization-fund
City of Seattle Hygiene, Restroom, and Shower Facilities Map
The City of Seattle has conducted an extensive accounting of every City-funded hygiene resource available. Human Services Department’s hygiene map includes all locations that are open and will be updated weekly.
City of Seattle Free Internet Access Resources
You can find free public Wi-Fi closest to you at: www.seattle.gov/tech/services/internet-access/free-public-wi-fi. You can also open a Public Wi-Fi Map in a new window here. And you can view a site list that is screen reader accessible here.
Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
The Federal Communications Commission’s new Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) helps families who qualify, get a discount of up to $50 for broadband service. Families and households are eligible if they receive Medicaid, SNAP or other public benefits, are school lunch eligible, are already in the Lifeline program, receive Pell education grants, have lost income due to job loss or furlough during the COVID-19 pandemic, or their 2020 income is below $99,000 for single tax filers or $198,000 for joint filers. If you are in a low-income internet program now, you may be able to apply directly with your internet provider.
Three ways for eligible households to apply:
- Contact your preferred participating broadband provider directly to learn about their application process. Providers serving Seattle with ongoing low-income internet programs offering the Emergency Broadband Benefit include Comcast, Wave, and wireless hotspot providers: PC’s for People and Human I-T.
Other Washington State providers are listed here.
- Go to GetEmergencyBroadband.org to apply online and to find participating providers near you.
- Call (833) 511-0311 for a mail-in application, and return it along with copies of documents showing proof of eligibility to:
Emergency Broadband Support Center
P.O. Box 7081
London, KY 40742
Application Form (pdf): English ; Spanish (Instructions in other languages: getemergencybroadband.org/help/resources/)
Consumer handouts and the fact sheet are also available in:
- Arabic – عربى
- Amharic – አማርኛ
- Burmese – မြန်မာစာ
- Chinese-Traditional – 繁體中文
- Chinese-Simplified – 简体中文
- French – français
- Korean – 한국어
- Portuguese – português
- Russian – русский
- Somali – Soomaali
- Spanish – español
- Tagalog – Filipino
- Vietnamese – Tiếng Việt
You can also help the FCC promote this campaign with this Emergency Broadband Benefit Outreach Toolkit.
DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
For a full list of opportunities:
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/covid-19#iwanttodonatevolunteer.