Kitsap Sun staff

Kitsap County now has two confirmed cases of COVID-19: two people from Bainbridge Island who are linked, the Kitsap Public Health District said on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the health district identified a person from Bainbridge Island in their 70s as testing positive for COVID-19. It said that the person is in isolation and that the health district is "working as quickly as possible to notify people identified as having been in close contact with the affected individual," according to a press release.

The new case is linked to the first positive test in Kitsap County — a Bainbridge Island person in their 60s. The health district announced that case on Sunday.

The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Washington state is now at least 23, with 19 linked to the Life Care Center, a nursing home in Kirkland. Health officials report more than 160 cases statewide.

So far, 14 tests from Kitsap County have been submitted for testing to the state public health lab. Ten tests have come back from the state public health lab as negative for COVID-19 and none have come back positive.

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The Kitsap Public Health District does not facilitate testing with the University of Washington or other private labs, where testing is also taking place. That means there will likely be more tests conducted than local public health officials are aware of, according to Tad Sooter, a spokesman for the Kitsap Public Health District.

Six tests of Kitsap County residents have come back negative from other labs, and two tests have come back positive.

County exploring options for 'isolation center'

Both Kitsap County and the city of Bainbridge Island declared local emergencies Monday, following the announcement of Kitsap's first positive case on Sunday.

Already, Kitsap County is exploring options for an “isolation center,” where people with COVID-19 could go if they are not able to isolate on their own. That could include people who are homeless and residents who live with elderly or high-risk roommates.

“We’re trying at this point to figure out an isolation center that isn’t just for people who are homeless but for people who aren’t able to go home or should not go home,” said Kirsten Jewell, Kitsap County's housing and homeless manager.

The Kitsap Department of Emergency Management has only started the search for a temporary facility. There’s not even a shortlist of options let alone an actual location, said DEM spokesman Dave Rasmussen.

“We’re in that exploration phase of looking up and down and sideways,” he said. “We’re just trying to look at what options are out there.”

Last week, King County officials announced they were purchasing a motel in Kent to isolate coronavirus patients. Kitsap County officials appear to be looking at other types of facilities.

“We’re not buying a motel,” Kitsap County Human Services Director Doug Washburn said at a community meeting last week. “We’re not planning on buying a hotel right now.”

Senior center notified of visit by someone who tested positive

It’s possible that attendees at an event at the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center, a community gathering space in downtown Winslow, may have been exposed to the virus. Executive Director Reed Price said that the center had been notified on Monday that a man who had visited the building on Mach 2 for a table tennis event later tested positive for COVID-19. It’s not known if the man had the virus when he visited that day, Price said.

The man’s wife also tested positive for the virus, although she did not visit the center, Price said. In an announcement on Monday, the center said that the spouse had been hospitalized with pneumonia.

Price said that paddles had been sanitized and that table tennis events had been canceled for the rest of the month. Those who had been in the room playing with the man were notified, he said.

The center remains open, but attendance and activities have dropped off, Price said. The building is being sanitized each night and has been cleaned two or three times per day over the last few days, Price said. The center has been in close contact with the city of Bainbridge Island, which owns the building, and the Kitsap Public Health District, and those entities have supported the idea of the center remaining open, he said.

Price said the center was looking at ways to help those who might feel isolated to stay connected over the internet: “Even if it comes to the point where it looks like the wise thing to do is shut the door, we’re not going to shut down the operation,” he said.

Other Bainbridge impacts

Bainbridge Island Fire Department Chief Hank Teran said Tuesday that none of the department's members were in quarantine or isolation because of a response. The department is working closely with Kitsap 911 dispatchers to make sure responders know what kind of circumstances they might encounter at a call, he said. If necessary, they'll wear protective equipment like gowns, gloves, masks and eye protection.

"It's a heightened awareness at this point to protect ourselves and the community," Teran said.

The Bainbridge Island School District announced that it would be suspending classroom field trips, postponing events and limiting volunteer activities. Spring sports tryouts at high schools across the state began March 2. Afternoon clubs and sporting events would remain on as scheduled, the district said.

Parents and guardians who have meetings scheduled with school staff could maintain those meetings, but the district encouraged meetings to take place by email or phone to reduce the number of people coming in and out of school buildings. The changes took effect Tuesday and would be re-evaluated after spring break, April 6-10, the district said.

If schools were to close because of a revised direction from health officials or if the district was unable to staff schools, announcements about closures would be made through the same channels as they would be on a snow day, the district said.

Emergency declarations

The emergency declarations at the county and city level activate emergency plans and allow the jurisdictions more freedom by waiving purchasing and contracting requirements.

“In coordination with our Department of Emergency Management and the Kitsap Public Health District, this proclamation allows us to further assess and prepare for this potentially significant health emergency,” Kitsap County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido said in a statement. “The proclamation is an important tool for our ongoing support of the citizens, agencies, public health partners, and first responders managing the current outbreak.”

The city said Bainbridge police will be following protocols like wearing gloves or using other personal protective equipment and said more frequent cleaning of public spaces like City Hall, the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center, the police station and the municipal court would be arranged.

Bainbridge's municipal court announced that it would be allowing hearings by telephone in many circumstances to minimize the number of people coming to the court building. To reschedule a hearing or a passport appointment for a later date, contact the court's clerk at 206-842-5641.

This story has been changed since it was first published to clarify that both positive tests came from labs other than the state public health lab.

The Associated Press, Austen Macalus and Nathan Pilling contributed to this report.

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