The state of the pandemic, refugee resettlement, and the future of downtown, this week

Bill Radke discusses the week's news with political consultant and columnist Joni Balter, Q13 reporter Jennifer Lee, and KUOW news anchor Paige Browning.

Picture life back in January: the state was still in phased lockdown, with businesses at limited capacity; events like concerts and sports games were extremely cautious or nonexistent; and we were all waiting for a bevy of new vaccines to be rolled out. While much has changed in our approach to the pandemic since then, the number of COVID cases is now back to a rate we haven’t seen since January. While deaths remain low thanks to vaccination and our improved treatment for COVID-19, as of this week, Washington has no critical care ICU beds available and is treating a record number of COVID patients. Does something need to change in our state’s approach to the pandemic so numbers can return to a more manageable level?

In more COVID news, the announcement of vaccine mandates last week drew protestors to the streets across the state. But former Attorney General Rob McKenna said that the governor’s mandate stands on solid legal ground -- at least for now. A report from Q13 showed an effort by the governor to push for more vaccinations by making exemptions more difficult to request. Does the pandemic change how the state should view exemptions? Are exemptions being exploited? How would the state know? Additionally, indoor mask mandates are back in place, and our Oregon neighbors are back to a full outdoor mask mandate. Will we follow Oregon and put a full indoor/outdoor mandate in place? Will we see mandates going further -- back into quarantine, for example? What is the outlook on COVID as we head into winter and our ability to be outside dwindles? New COVID infections are trending upward in young age groups -- which makes sense, as young kids remain ineligible for the vaccine. But with school coming up, concerns about transmission in younger populations (and by extension, their families) are gaining steam. With cases surging, is the state and region thinking about going back to school online? More parents are homeschooling their children as an alternative -- what impact will that have on schools and education in the pandemic?

Also, last week the United States continued its withdrawal from Afghanistan, including regular flights to evacuate thousands of Afghan refugees. As of now, the state expects around 6,000 refugees to resettle here in Washington State. Is the state prepared to support refugees once they’ve immigrated? What happens to refugees if there isn’t enough immediate housing for them to go to? Where are refugees expected to go in the state? How does that get decided? Can people volunteer to house refugees?

Lastly, this week Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced the city will make $7.5 million available for the recovery of downtown neighborhoods and businesses. The money comes from Congress and Mayor Durkan says it'll go toward increasing foot traffic to shifting businesses to the online market. It will also include funds to address vandalism. What will this money specifically go toward? What needs improving in downtown? We've been discussing how the pandemic is reshaping what we want out of our commercial and retail cores -- what does the city's investment say about the importance of downtown to the health of the city? Safety is also a primary concern for many. This week the King County Council, superior court, and district court judges discussed ongoing security concerns at the downtown courthouse. From City Hall Park to surrounding vicinity, employees are fearful of their safety when commuting to work. Incidents of violent crime have been frequent in the area. What is the plan for reopening and returning to the courthouse? What is the county discussing as a possible long term solution to violence around the courthouse? The county is debating buying up City Hall Park -- what would that change?