Press Release by various Mayors of Snohomish County
May 4, 2020 — For the last few months, the world has been faced with a widespread, deadly pandemic that required quick and decisive leadership. Since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Snohomish County in January, the Governor and regional partners have shown just such leadership. We led the nation going into the crisis, and now other states look to Washington as an example. We used to have more COVID-19 cases than anywhere else in the country, we’ve now stabilized transmission rates. The success of the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order is self-evident: our health care systems continue to function well; infection rates appear to have peaked; and we are effectively flattening the curve. Most importantly, we are saving lives. The support and participation of our residents has played a huge role in this success, and we thank them for the changes they’ve made in their lives and work for the good of our community.
We have lost over 100 souls to this virus, and we will lose more. The question is how many? Each was a person with a name, a life, a family and friends, and one of our neighbors. Everything we have been asked to do is to save lives, to ensure that the sick get the care they need, to buy time for treatments, and to hopefully develop a vaccine.
Our work is not done, however, and it is imperative that we hold steady and sustain this positive momentum. The Governor’s announcement on Friday extends the timeline for us all to Stay Home, Stay Healthy, outlines the conditions that must be achieved for additional restrictions to be lifted, and sets forth a reasonable, phased approach for us to re-open our communities. We support this science-based, data-driven plan and remain committed to supporting the implementation of this next stage of response. We appreciate the Governor providing a helpful roadmap and relevant details on the phases of reopening, since it helps us and our business owners have the information we need to make plans for re-opening.
This public health crisis has been very difficult for our communities. Our residents, workers, and businesses have all been tremendously impacted. We’ve rolled up our sleeves and are continuing to work with our community partners to get our economy up and running again. We look forward to working together with our businesses, non-profits, and governmental partners on plans to restore vitality to our cities and county. Together, we will get through this.
Signed by,
Executive Dave Somers, Snohomish County
Mayor Barb Tolbert and City of Arlington
Mayor Liam Olsen, City of Bothell
Mayor Dan Rankin, Town of Darrington
Mayor Mike Nelson, City of Edmonds
Mayor Cassie Franklin, City of Everett
Mayor Pam Pruitt, City of Mill Creek
Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright, City of Mountlake Terrace
Mayor Jennifer Gregerson, City of Mukilteo
Mayor Nicola Smith, City of Lynnwood
Mayor Leonard Kelly, City of Stanwood
Mayor Carla Nichols, Town of Woodway
