Students and employees required to sign risk mitigation form
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
August 12, 2020
Update A statement from the university, published to the CWU website Aug. 13, announced that the form all students and employees will be required to complete has been put on hold and will not appear before logging in to MyCWU when it was expected to. “A new launch date will be announced next week wi...
Kittitas County reports three additional COVID-19-associated deaths
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 21, 2020
Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) has announced the deaths of three more long-term care facility residents. It was not specified which care facilities they were residents of. To date, long-term care facility residents make up all four deaths associated with COVID-19 in the county. KCPH...
Kittitas County sees changes in gathering restrictions
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 21, 2020
Gov. Jay Inslee’s orders, which reduce the maximum number of people who are allowed to gather, went into effect statewide on July 20. Kittitas County now has a gathering restriction of 10 people, reduced from its previous 50 people. Inslee implemented this requirement to combat the increasing spread...
First death associated with COVID-19 in Kittitas County
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 20, 2020
On July 19, a Kittitas County resident living in the long-term care facility Pacifica Senior Living died from COVID-19. According to a press release from the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD), two additional residents of long-term care facilities have also been hospitalized at Kittitas V...
Access to People’s Pond closed due to rising COVID-19 numbers
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 18, 2020
Kittitas County Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson has directed the City of Ellensburg to close Irene Rineheart Riverfront Park due to increased numbers of COVID-19 cases in the county. This includes Carey Lake, often called People’s Pond. The park will remain closed until Kittitas County returns to 25 ...
Long-term care facility cases considered outbreaks
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 17, 2020
Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) reported three COVID-19 outbreaks in association with the long-term care facilities that have seen positive cases in the past week. All patients are currently stable. An outbreak in this context is defined as two or more non-household cases occurrin...
Three long-term care facilities see more cases
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 14, 2020
A third long-term care facility in Kittitas County has confirmed cases of COVID-19. The county’s Incident Management Team (IMT) was notified of two residents of Pacifica Senior Living in Ellensburg who tested positive. In response, the IMT will be conducting mass testing at the facility on July 17. ...
County sees increase in long-term care facility cases
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 13, 2020
Kittitas County’s Incident Management Team (IMT) is responding to over 10 more cases of COVID-19 occurring in both long-term care facilities that reported positive tests in the past week. The IMT reports that everyone who has tested positive is stable at this time. The Kittitas Valley branch of Prestige Post-...
Second long-term care facility confirms positive cases
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 11, 2020
On July 8, Kittitas County received positive test results from two staff members of the Kittitas Valley branch of Prestige Post-Acute and Rehab were confirmed to have COVID-19. The Incident Management Team’s (IMT) response to Prestige will be the same as the response to the recent response to...
Meadows Place employee tests positive for COVID-19
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 8, 2020
On July 6, Kittitas County learned a staff member of Meadows Place Assisted Living Community was confirmed to have COVID-19. The employee is now in isolation and the county’s Incident Management Team (IMT) is working to quarantine all contacts. All residents and staff of Meadows Place are being tested by the...
COVID-19 cases increase following phase three approval
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
July 2, 2020
Kittitas County has seen a “significant” increase in COVID-19 cases following the move to phase three of Gov. Jay Inslee’s phased reopening plan, according to Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD). These cases are not associated with a specific outbreak. “We are not surprised by COVID-activity in...
Kittitas County enters phase three
Bailey Tomlinson, News Editor
June 23, 2020
As of June 23, Kittitas County has been approved by the state to enter phase three of Gov. Inslee’s phased reopening plan. Phase three lifts new restrictions, outlined in a county public health department press release, such as allowing social gatherings and outdoor recreation to now include up...