At an emergency board meeting last week, the San Juan Island Community Foundation solidified its commitment to providing additional emergency funding and nonprofit support for the duration of COVID-19 response. Specifically, SJICF staff and board members will: Provide grant funding to SJI nonprofits Offer SJI nonprofit support, such as project planning and execution Help nonprofits  Continue Reading

From San Juan Airlines – Hello fellow islanders, if you need supplies but don’t want to leave the islands we provide regular freight services to and from the islands and are now offering fresh grocery delivery. To find out more, visit sanjuanairlines.com/groceries or call us at (800) 874-4434. If you’re concerned about safety but need  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… How is everybody doing? As an introvert who already works at home having to stay home has not changed my lifestyle very much. Yet, it is different. I am aware now that I touch my face way too much  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders Many in the islands are wondering how San Juan County is preparing in case access to mainland medical care becomes limited. This is known as medical surge, which the CDC defines  as, “…the ability to provide adequate medical evaluation and care during  Continue Reading

In this time of COVID-19 we’ve all received tons of emails from businesses offering ‘tips’ to manage the crisis that are sales pitches in disguise. But there is very little on how to deal with the anxiety that comes with daily changes and restrictions. As a gift to our beloved community, I have put together  Continue Reading

A list of San Juan County Government Departments, their status during the COVID-19 crisis, and info on how to access services has been posted online at:  https://www.sanjuanco.com/Department-Service-Status   This resource will be updated going forward, and is intended to help citizens utilize vital San Juan County functions in a safe and accessible way. If you have  Continue Reading

San Juan County Health and Community Services staff have been notified of a positive COVID-19 test result on San Juan Island. This brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to 4. The County data reporting page will be updated on Monday, once all of the test results and numbers from all local  Continue Reading

Dear Customers, Thank you for your support and patience during this time of COVID-19. We continue to work hard to ensure that you and our employees stay safe and well stocked during this period. We have already discussed many of the measures we’ve implemented in this regard but will be initiating more – and could  Continue Reading

Behavioral health leader announces free, downloadable templates and protocols as part of COVID-19 response… EVERETT – Today, behavioral health organization Compass Health announced it is sharing COVID-19 communications resources on its website to support widespread safety and well-being efforts.   Recognizing the unprecedented scale and impact of COVID-19, Compass Health’s behavioral health professionals created these materials  Continue Reading

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) will launch a gift card website for local businesses, which will be fully live on March 31st. The website will include gift card links to businesses, resources for businesses, and more. Businesses are urged to submit their information as soon as possible using this form: ISLANDS STRONG Gift  Continue Reading

These are challenging times.  We know that you are facing extraordinary difficulties right now and we want to help. Local non-profits such as ourselves, and government agencies at all levels, are working to create programs to help businesses, employees, and the community as a whole.  Right now, we wanted to let you know that we  Continue Reading

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) has launched a weekly Business Recovery Call for business owners affected by COVID-19 implications.  The first meeting will be held via Zoom, on Wednesday, April 1st, from 10-11a, and subsequent meetings will be held at the same time and day of the week. To join business owners  Continue Reading

FRIDAY MARCH 27: The San Juan County COVID-19 Response Team has been notified by Peace Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor that an email is being forwarded within the San Juan Island Community that makes reference to “…six confirmed cases of the COVID 19 virus here in Friday Harbor. The info I have is from an  Continue Reading

A message from Dr. House at Eventide Health… Testing. We’re doing as much as we can. We’re trying to ramp up and get massive supplies in for wider testing. I think this is key. Working with the health department daily and calling labs and suppliers from literally all over the world. We offered to help  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders. This is the second in a series of articles by Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey that aim to take the abstract concept of social distancing and make it real and hopefully more meaningful for islanders. His first column is HERE. In my guest column on  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders… We are hearing a lot of questions about which construction activities are allowed under the Governor’s Stay at Home, Stay Healthy Proclamation (20-25) issued March 23, 2020 and his subsequent memorandum on Construction Guidance –Stay Home, Stay Healthy Proclamation (20-25).    There  Continue Reading

Thursday March 26, 2020 – The third confirmed positive COVID-19 test result in San Juan County was reported to San Juan County public health staff today. This result is the first confirmed positive case on Lopez Island. As with previous positive results, public health staff have conducted contact tracing to identify close contacts of the  Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions: What do these orders mean for the San Juan Islands? On Monday, March 23, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee issued a “Stay at home” proclamation, an order for all of us to limit our daily exposure due to COVID-19. On March 25th, the San Juan County Health Officer issued an order restricting  Continue Reading

We hear from the Food Bank… We have had a few patrons tell us they’ve seen our hours posted online as 10:30-2:00 so I’m emailing today to let you know that our hours HAVE NOT changed… We are open Wednesday and Saturday from 11:30 to 2pm and are offering pre-packaged bags according to household size.  Continue Reading

Today, Wednesday March 25, 2020, San Juan County Health Officer, Dr. Frank James, MD, issued an immediate order to restrict non-essential travel to San Juan County, control contact with playgrounds and playground equipment, and limit transient accommodations and camping. Travel and lodging for individuals engaged in essential activities or providing essential services may continue. The  Continue Reading

A message from the county with more to come… Second confirmed positive case on Orcas Island: A close household contact of the first positive case has also tested positive for COVID-19. This positive result was anticipated by San Juan County Public Health Staff and close contact tracing was completed over the weekend to ensure the individuals  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders… Our community has a strong history of neighbors helping neighbors – a quick scroll through our online news and local Facebook pages exemplifies that spirit with posts centered around getting supplies to those in need; supporting local businesses; caring for our most  Continue Reading