Coronavirus In King County: 71 New Cases, 4 More Deaths

KING COUNTY, WA — Health officials for King County reported 71 new cases of the coronavirus and four more deaths Tuesday afternoon.

The new numbers deaths raise King County's total death toll to 467, or about 7 percent of all patients who get the virus. Doctors have long held that age is one of the highest risk factors for the virus. Of those who died, 429 were over 60 years old and 257 were 80 or older. A total of 6,653 people in King County have been infected with the coronavirus.

Meanwhile Washington state reported a total of 15,594 cases of the virus and 862 total deaths Tuesday, marking a growth of 132 new cases and 21 new deaths. The numbers mark a slight increase in deaths: the three days before saw 10 or fewer new deaths each.

Coronavirus may cost Washington billions

While Washington has outlined its latest four-step program to restart and reopen the economy, the months of business closures may end up costing the state billions of dollars with damage continuing through the next three years.

An unofficial revenue forecast by the state's Economic and Revenue Forecast Council predicts a total loss of $3.8 billion by next June, and $7 billion through mid-2023. The losses mark a significant problem for the current $53 billion two-year-budget.

Lawmakers say they're hopeful that federal stimulus money will help mitigate the damage caused by the pandemic, but they also say they can't count on the federal government to help out just yet so they're preparing for the worst:

"Everything is on the table," says State Sen. Christine Rolfes, the Senate's chief budget writer. Rolfes says that includes anything from potential furloughs or pay freezes for government employees, to new taxes to make up for lost revenue.

Read more: Washington Forecasts Billions In Lost Revenue Due To Coronavirus

Washington enters phase one of reopening

Friday Gov. Jay Inslee extended the state's stay-at-home order through the end of March, but some provisions have been lifted: Tuesday dozens of parks across the state reopened to visitors.

Now that the state has entered the first phase of the reopening, Inslee says they're working to plan out the remaining three phases. Tuesday the governor announced the formation of three new advisory panels who will help guide the state's reopening process.

For the next phase, those boards will help make guidelines allowing landscaping businesses, car dealerships, car washes and other curbside retailers to reopen. That plan will be released sometime early next week according to Inslee.

Read more: Washington Reaches Phase 1 In Inslee's Reopening Plan

King County to open parks, trails Friday

Tuesday more than 100 parks across the state reopened to the public, and the parks and trails managed by King County won't be long behind.

Tuesday the county announced that all of their parks and trails, including their regional and backcountry trails, will be reopening on Friday, May 8. The reopening also includes all of the county's fields, docks and boat launches.

However, visitors will have to follow safe social distancing guidelines, keeping a six foot space between themselves and others, and avoiding gathering in large groups. That means there are no team sports or pick-up games allowed, even though King County's fields will be open.

"High touch" facilities like restrooms, courts, playgrounds and picnic shelters will also remain closed.

A full breakdown of what will and will not reopen can be found here: King County Parks And Trails Will Reopen Friday

Coronavirus cases in King County's homeless population

A new report by the Seattle Times found that 204 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed at Seattle's homeless shelters, supportive housing facilities and camps. The cases were confirmed at 44 different locations across the city. The number also includes staff at homeless support facilities who have been infected. As the times reports, at this time a month ago, only four cases had been confirmed in the city's homeless population.

Experts say part of the problem is the difficulty using contact tracing to track the virus as it spreads through the homeless population, as many people move through multiple camps or shelters trying to find a place to stay.

Read the Times full report: More than 200 COVID-19 cases in homeless shelters, housing sites and camps in King County

Flight planned to honor health care workers

The Air Force has announced a flyby above 30 hospitals across Washington Friday. The flight will take off after noon and will be composed of two massive C-17 Globemaster IIIs stationed at McChord Field at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The Air Force has released a map of their flight path on Facebook.

To catch the show, a full itinerary of the flight, including where it can be seen and when, can be found right here: Air Force To Fly Over Puget Sound Hospitals Friday: How To Watch

Republicans file lawsuit over stay-at-home extension

Seven Republican lawmakers have filed a legal challenge to Gov. Inslee's stay-at-home order, arguing that the order's extension was made unconstitutionally.

In the suit the lawmakers point to lower death tolls than originally predicted, and say that extending the order further is not justified.

The governor condemned the lawsuit on Tuesday, arguing that the extension is necessary to save lives.

"If we stopped in our tracks, half-way through this effort or two-thirds through this effort, this virus will come back with a vengeance," Inslee said. "As far as I can tell, that doesn't bother them that much."

Coronavirus cases by city

The number of coronavirus cases in King County can be broken down by area as follows: