Link to printable list: March 2020 Hours Restaurant Hours

FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash., March 17, 2020– In order to protect its patients, their loved ones and its caregivers during the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center is strategically and rigorously restricting the number of people who enter the doors of its facility.

Effective March 17, no visitors will be allowed to enter the medical center until further notification. Special exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Loved ones are encouraged to connect with hospitalized patients using smart phone applications, such as FaceTime, WhatsApp, or Skype, during this period of limited face-to-face support.

Visit peacehealth.org/coronavirus to read the latest news at PeaceHealth, as well as helpful education and prevention resources related to COVID-19.

Over the first eight months of 2005, a group of 21 County residents, representing a range of ages and politics, from all of the county’s geo-political districts, met sixteen times for the sole purpose of proposing a home rule charter for San Juan County.  This “San Juan County Board of Freeholders” sent two documents to the voters in November of that year: a basic charter and a first amendment to the charter.  Both passed by wide margins.

That vote made San Juan County the sixth and smallest of Washington State’s six charter counties (a seventh has adopted a charter since).  Home rule charters, permitted by State Constitution, allow counties the opportunity to deviate in some limited ways from the basic code other counties follow.  For example, only with a charter can a county grant its residents the rights of initiative and referendum.  Only with a charter can a county change the number or duties of its elected officials. Charter counties can have elected executives or appointed administrators, in addition to their legislative body.  Charter county officials may be partisan or non-partisan (county officials in code counties, except for judges, are all partisan). Continue Reading

In order to help directly answer community concerns, San Juan County will release its next COVID-19 video community update to the public on Thursday, March 19 at 5:00 p.m. Our latest question and answer session will be recorded rather than live as our previous livestream (on March 9th) was so heavily subscribed some had issues accessing the stream.

You can submit a question for this video update HERE.

The video will be posted HERE once uploaded. Or you may access it from a link on the County COVID-19 page.

Links to the recording of our previous livestream and many other documents, such as FAQs, updated statistics, and Spanish language resources are found at https://www.sanjuanco.com/1668/2019-Novel-Coronavirus

San Juan County health officials remind everyone that if you feel sick and have mild symptoms, stay home. If you feel you have more serious symptoms or if you are at risk for severe illness, stay home and call your health provider. Do not report to a clinic or to the hospital without calling first. Follow your doctor or health professional’s direction. If you feel the situation is urgent and life threatening, call 911.

For those with Facebook, please follow the San Juan County Health and Community Services Facebook page. We have a hotline at360-370-7500, and the website is regularly updated.

Thanks to San Juan County Economic Development Council for this message…

The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to Washington small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza announced today. SBA acted under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, to declare a disaster following a request received from Gov. Jay Inslee on March 13, 2020.
 
The disaster declaration makes SBA assistance available in Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman and Yakima counties in Washington; Benewah, Latah and Nez Perce counties in Idaho; and Gilliam, Hood River, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla and Wasco counties in Oregon. Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders.

How isolated do we have to keep our kids now that schools are closed?

For this Hot Topic, we reach out to Dr. Frank James, San Juan County Health Officer (and parent!). A few key points from Dr. James:

• First off, I totally empathize with the incredible challenge that the closure of school places on so many families. For some families, there’s already a parent at home to care for children, or kids are older so can take care of themselves. But for other families, the loss of the school day can be an incredible logistical, financial, and emotional trial.
• Research has shown that one of the most common ways Coronavirus is spread is within and between families. The intimacy of contact and the duration of contact both make sharing the disease more likely. Now that school is out for at least six weeks, it is time to think about how to manage risks. Playdates, parties, sleep overs, and gatherings with other families should not become the default substitute for school. 
• That said, common sense has a place here. Social contact is a key part of mental health, especially for kids, and particularly teenagers. For children that are symptom free and have no underlying conditions, things like bike rides, hikes, and zero physical contact outdoor activity with smaller groups of kids are lower risk than groups of kids having sleepovers, being indoors, eating together, or socializing in large groups. So please, be thoughtful, considerate, use good judgment, and help our children empathize with the importance of this global effort to slow the spread.

Continue Reading

Effective Monday, March 16, Islanders Bank’s lobby will be closed until further notice.  Please conduct your banking transactions through our drive-up window.  Mobile & Online Banking are available to our customers, if you have not yet established these banking methods, please call us or visit our website: www.Islandersbank.com.   Be ready to provide your Security Code over the phone.

Washington’s Governor Inslee has asked retail establishments to limit occupancy to reduce the potential spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  Islanders Bank wants to be responsive to the Governor’s request and safeguard the health of our community.

If you have a banking transaction that cannot be completed through the drive-up window, please call our branches.

We are sorry for this inconvenience and hope the situation will be resolved shortly.  Thank you for your patience during this challenging time.

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae…

Staying Home – Peggy Sue McRae photo

Things have moved so swiftly with the coronavirus it seems like we were just watching it on the news unfolding in China then suddenly it was close to home. Now our schools, the library, churches and offices are closed and we find ourselves in the hot spot of a global pandemic.

As unnerving as the situation is our community gives me faith we will pull through this. I grocery shopped on Saturday among others who were stocking up to hunker down.  The shelves were being restocked as I shopped. I’m so grateful for the people who work in this town from our public health officials to the checkers at the market. These people take care of us.

Yesterday the Update posted, A Message From The Mullis Center. The community lunch program has been suspended for the time being however Meals on Wheels will still be operational. If you are 60 or over, home bound and need a meal, contact the Mullis Center 360.378.7926. Senior trips to Bellingham and Mt Vernon are on hiatus for the duration too but if you need assistance for essential transportation contact senior services at 360.378.2677.

The Blood Drive is still happening. It is important to give blood because the supply is low right now. What’s not happening is the Pancake Breakfast, Book-club, Bingo, Blood Pressure Clinic, Tuesday Chair Yoga, Letter Writers, Wednesday Painting, Thursday Chair Yoga Mahjong, Bridge, Balance, and Quilters. That’s a lot that is not happening. Continue Reading

HOT TOPIC #1: March 15^th
Testing and Rumor Control

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders.

TESTING

A lot of people have questions about testing.  We want to highlight a few key things:

• First off, if you’re on Orcas or Lopez, read this excellent article from Anne Presson of the Lopez and Orcas Hospital Districts (and the County Response Team) with info specific to those islands. Similar general information will be summarized below with the whole County in mind.
• It’s important to understand that not everyone who feels ill needs to be tested, particularly those with mild illness. A health care provider will determine if you should be tested, and it’s likely their advice on managing your symptoms will be the same whether you test positive or negative. Tests are being given by healthcare providers in San Juan County, and islanders with significant symptoms are being tested.
• That’s not to say that we wouldn’t love to see the surge of testing availability that we keep hearing about at the national level, or that our response wouldn’t benefit from wide availability of testing. The better our testing is the better our understanding. We’re confident that testing availability will continue to improve, and we’re as eager as anyone for that to happen. But it’s important to know that islanders are being tested now, and have been for some time.
• According to the World Health Organization and many others, the vast majority of those who get COVID-19 have mild to moderate symptoms and feel better within a couple of weeks. Those with underlying health issues are at greater risk for more severe symptoms, and it’s important that our medical providers have the time and resources to closely monitor those patients. If you experience symptoms of illness and you can manage your illness at home, please stay there and avoid contact with others.
• The idea of the “test kit” has been poorly explained in the media. Test kits are the supplies that individual large off-island laboratories use to test samples for COVID-19. The process for testing starts with nasal and/or throat sample taken by your health care provider. The healthcare provider sends the sample to one of the large laboratories for testing.  It is likely that the laboratory is the same one that they use to provide other types of test results in normal times.
• We are hopeful that in the weeks to come, new technologies, approaches and delivery models for testing become available that will expand testing to a broader swath of the community. This will be a very good thing, and the San Juan County response team is making plans for when this might become available.
• At this time there are no positive test results in San Juan County. The Health Department recommends self-quarantine for patients with pending test results and their close household contacts while waiting for results. If a positive result is received, Public Health staff will trace wider contacts and provide guidance on limiting disease spread – including isolation and quarantine requirements.

Continue Reading

Don’t travel now if you don’t need to but if you do…

Passengers driving to the Anacortes terminal will want to give themselves some extra time starting next week. The city of Anacortes will begin construction work on a roundabout at the intersection of SR 20 Spur/Oakes Avenue and Ship Harbor Boulevard/Glasgow Way on Monday, March 16. It is located just east of the Anacortes Ferry Terminal. City crews will have stages of alternating traffic, and there could be some detours. More information about the work can be found on the city’s website for the project

The Popular Mullis Center Salad Bar – Peggy Sue McRae photo

The health and safety of our community is a shared responsibility and one that we take seriously. The San Juan County Health Department recommends that people at higher risk of severe illness should stay at home and away from large groups of people. People at higher risk include those:

• Over 60 years of age
• With underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease or diabetes
• With weakened immune systems

The Health Department also recommends the cancelation or postponement of non-essential large public gatherings.  The Senior Services Council of San Juan County and its three Senior Centers, San Juan County Health & Community Services and Whatcom Council on Aging take these recommendations seriously, and are adapting our services and programming as follows:

Senior Centers Closures & Cancellations
On Monday, March 16, San Juan, Lopez, and Orcas Senor Centerswill begin limiting or cancelling programs and activities until further notice.  Please contact each center or visit the Centers’ websites for specific details. While we have not been directed to close, we feel it is our responsibility to protect our at-risk population by limiting interaction at this time.  Continue Reading

Much has been done in the very short time that our school district first learned about the coronavirus pandemic. The Superintendent and staff have been working tirelessly to develop a plan to serve our students in a tele-schooling model for at least the next six weeks.

Most districts are expecting an extended loss of learning time. We are one of the few districts that is ready to face this challenge. The ongoing community support that our schools enjoy provides both the means and opportunity to keep our kids ready to move forward. For this we thank you.

We are on track to tele-school our entire student body in partnership with Rock Island Technology Solutions who is graciously providing access where needed. Our students will have access to their own classes, teachers and paraprofessionals electronically. Continue Reading

FRIDAY HARBOR, WA – As a precaution during the COVID-19 outbreak, all San Juan Island Fire and Rescue Stations, including the main fire station at 1011 Mullis Street in Friday Harbor are temporarily closed to the public.

All public meetings in our facilities, including use of the main station by the Department of Licensing, are cancelled during this time.

The closures have been implemented to secure our residents, volunteers and paid staff.

San Juan Island Fire and Rescue continues emergency response from all stations.

IN AN EMERGENCY ALWAYS CALL 911.

The temporary closure takes effect immediately and will be in effect until March 31, 2020.

Burn Permits can be purchased on the San Juan County website https://www.sanjuanco.com/1091/Fire-Risk-Burn-Permits

For questions regarding San Juan Island Fire and Rescue, please call (360) 378-5334.

The San Juan County Auditor is seeking volunteers to write an argument against the annexation of the Town of Friday Harbor into San Juan Island Fire & Rescue.  The argument will appear in the Online Voters’ Guide for the upcoming April 2020 Special Election.

Both the Town and SJI Fire & Rescue approved resolutions to propose the annexation.  The County Council then approved sending the measure to voters.  If approved by voters, the measure would authorize the Town of Friday Harbor to be annexed into and become a part of San Juan County Fire Protection District No. 3 (San Juan Island Fire & Rescue).  The Town currently contracts with San Juan Island Fire & Rescue for firefighting services. Continue Reading

Dear Parents, Families and staff,

Though there are no cases of coronavirus on San Juan Island, as the Superintendent of San Juan Island School District, I will be closing schools effective Tuesday, March 17 – Thurs, March 19.  Remote tele-schooling will begin on Friday, March 20 through April 24.

All parent conferences next week are cancelled.

I ask that students who are not sick to attend school on Monday to prepare for the tele-schooling model.  

All Staff will report to their buildings next week to prepare for the transition to the tele-schooling model.

The district is working with Rock Island Technology Solutions to provide internet access to students who currently don’t have access to the internet. Continue Reading