coronavirus

UPDATING: Seattle-area events that have been canceled, postponed or rescheduled due to novel coronavirus concerns


The list of events that have been canceled in the Seattle area continues to grow as we head into the third week of the novel coronavirus outbreak. We'll keep this list updated throughout the week.




coronavirus

City announces $1.1 million and rent relief to support arts organizations in the coronavirus economic crisis


On Tuesday, the City of Seattle announced a $1.1 million, arts-specific recovery package and rent suspension for cultural organizations, designed to help an arts sector heavily hit by the coronavirus shutdowns.




coronavirus

Submit your events that have moved online due to the novel coronavirus outbreak


Due to restrictions on gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19, many organizations are canceling public gatherings and social events around the city, and are, instead, holding their events, concerts, classes, activities and more online. Submit your events and we will add them to our updating list. Loading…




coronavirus

Amid coronavirus shutdown, Seattle’s livestreaming surge brings live music to your living room


In the face of ever-tightening restrictions on gatherings, wave of Seattle musicians and artists are taking their shows online.




coronavirus

7 skills Seattle Times features staffers learned from YouTube videos while home due to coronavirus


From baking a Japanese-style souffle cheesecake to making trivets out of wine corks, here's what our features staffers recently learned from YouTube videos.




coronavirus

Pacific Northwest Ballet furloughs all dancers, musicians and many on staff due to coronavirus pandemic


Pacific Northwest Ballet, after canceling two programs and closing both branches of its school due to the coronavirus pandemic, stands to lose approximately $3 million through the end of April




coronavirus

Brown Paper Tickets, facing claims by many artists who are owed money, says coronavirus pandemic led to systems failure


Artists and arts groups say money they expected from Seattle-based Brown Paper Tickets either didn’t arrive, or the checks bounced, or money was deposited, then got sucked back out of bank accounts. BPT says it and its bank lost control of which payments were able to clear and which weren’t.




coronavirus

Frantic fundraising, relief that can’t meet demand: Artists and arts groups scramble amid coronavirus crisis


The coronavirus-shutdown crisis has ripped through Seattle’s arts and culture scene, guillotining income for individual artists and organizations while they scramble to cut expenses.





coronavirus

Watch: To inspire smiles during coronavirus, Bellingham buds dance like no one’s watching


A dance video created by a Bellingham children's book author set to a track by a local band is so infectiously funny it is impossible to watch without smiling. And that, said Stefanie Cornell, who made the video, was exactly the idea.




coronavirus

Pacific Northwest Ballet receives $3 million in federal coronavirus-aid funds, to cover 8 weeks of pay


The company has received a $3 million loan from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, allowing it to cover eight weeks of pay.




coronavirus

Seattle-area cultural organizations projected to lose up to $135 million in revenue because of coronavirus


ArtsFund on Monday announced new projections about pandemic-related losses in regional arts, cultural and scientific nonprofits, as well as its first round of coronavirus-related relief grants.




coronavirus

Starbucks worker at First and University store diagnosed with coronavirus


The Starbucks Reserve near the Seattle Art Museum was subjected to a deep cleaning and is scheduled to reopen with staff from other locations who have no known impact from COVID-19.




coronavirus

Seattle businesses, government leaders set aside differences to team up on coronavirus response


The communication and collaboration among businesses and local government leaders who don’t always see eye-to-eye has helped smooth the response to the region’s coronavirus crisis.




coronavirus

Starbucks expands paid leave policy for workers affected by coronavirus


Starbucks says “catastrophe pay” will be available to employees, regardless of whether they are showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus.




coronavirus

Starbucks’ gathering-spot model is threatened by coronavirus


The Seattle-based coffee chain, which sees itself as a “third place” between work and home, is trying to reassure customers and employees about its response to the outbreak.




coronavirus

Some key Seattle-area public companies hit hard by coronavirus-induced stock market crash


It was a rocky week on Wall Street, as most securities fell and some saw record declines. Seattle-area companies felt the pain as sharply as any.




coronavirus

Starbucks to close some stores, eliminate seating in all others to slow spread of coronavirus


In a bid to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Starbucks will temporarily close some of its North American locations and will shift to a “to-go” model at the rest of its more than 10,000 North American stores. The closures, which were announced and implemented Sunday afternoon, will last at least two weeks and […]




coronavirus

Starbucks is closing cafes in response to coronavirus crisis; drive-thrus remain open


Some cafes close to hospitals or health care sites will remain open, according to the statement, as part of the company’s “efforts to serve first responders and health care workers.” And Starbucks will continue to pay all employees for 30 days, whether they come to work or stay home.




coronavirus

Referendum-proof Seattle tax for coronavirus relief, housing, would impact multiple business sectors


The Seattle City Charter says legislation approved under a state of emergency can't be repealed by referendum. Council members can't name every business the new tax would cover, because the state discloses only aggregate payroll data.




coronavirus

Starbucks sees gradual reopening amid progress in coronavirus fight


Starbucks is planning to “gradually expand” operations at some stores in the U.S., citing progress in the fight to contain the coronavirus.




coronavirus

Starbucks sales tumble as global shutdowns caused by coronavirus hit its stores


In the U.S., Starbucks has temporarily closed half its 8,000 company-owned stores. It's planning to reopen 90% of those with modifications by early June.




coronavirus

MLB employees — from players to execs — become the subjects of a huge coronavirus study


MLB employees, from players to stadium workers to executives, are participating this week in a 10,000-person study aimed at understanding how many people in various parts of the United States have been infected with the coronavirus.




coronavirus

With MLB shut down due to coronavirus, Mariners host video roundtable on Jackie Robinson Day


The Mariners have 10 African-American players on the 40-man roster — the most in MLB.




coronavirus

Where the major sports stand amid the coronavirus pandemic


Nearly every sporting event, major and minor, has been canceled, moved or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s a look at where things stand with many of the top sports.




coronavirus

Mariners’ Manny Acta remains mindful of Latin minor-leaguers’ plight amid coronavirus outbreak


Acta spoke candidly is issues in Dominican Republic and MLB players complaining about the proposed restart plan.




coronavirus

MLB teams expected to update ticket policies this week for games lost to coronavirus


Fans holding tickets for MLB games in 2020 could be notified as soon as Wednesday about options for exchanges or in some cases refunds, with specific ticket policies to be decided by individual teams.




coronavirus

Coronavirus shutdown feels ‘kind of like the start of a lousy retirement’ for Mariners’ Tom Murphy


Murphy was supposed to be a month into an important season, his first as the Mariners' main catcher. Instead, he waits in a sort of baseball purgatory. “Yeah, I'm definitely struggling with it,” he said.




coronavirus

Mariners announce ticket-refund process for games impacted by coronavirus shutdown


Single-game ticket buyers will get a refund while season-ticket holders will get credit.




coronavirus

Kyle Russell is Washington’s top prep baseball player, but MLB draft may not be an option due to coronavirus shutdown


As one of the Northwest's top high-school players, he’s accepted a scholarship to play for Washington State. But under a normal circumstances, Russell and his family would be weighing another option more closely — the 2020 Major League Baseball amateur draft.




coronavirus

MLB reportedly is finalizing proposal to start season in early July after coronavirus shutdown


Major League Baseball is reportedly considering a plan of restarting spring training in early June with the season starting in early July.




coronavirus

With season in limbo amid coronavirus pandemic, Everett AquaSox prepare for different scenarios


While the focus of the sports world is on the possible relaunch of the major-league season, minor-league teams cling to the hope of competing in 2020 while girding for the increasing likelihood that the season will be dormant.




coronavirus

The Korean Baseball Organization is back from the coronavirus shutdown. Is this what Mariners games will look like?


The quality of the games, which include a handful of former big-league players, isn’t great. But it’s real, live baseball being broadcast by ESPN. Beyond the joy of watching baseball, these games provide a glimpse of what Mariners games and other MLB matchups might look like if/when they return.




coronavirus

Washington golfers, officials cling to hope that Gov. Inslee will lift coronavirus shutdown order in May


Under normal circumstances, this would be a perfect time to sneak in a round or two (or four), but of course, that’s impossible. All courses in the state have been shut down by virtue of Gov. Inslee’s shelter-at-home order March 23.




coronavirus

Here’s what golfers should know as Washington courses prepare to reopen after coronavirus shutdown


Any course planning to reopen must comply to guidelines developed by the governor's office. The most notable will be the limit of two people per group instead of threesomes or foursomes in groups. The only exception: If all the people are from the same household, a foursome is acceptable.




coronavirus

‘Like I was getting Taylor Swift tickets’: Washington golfers thrilled to be back on links after coronavirus shutdown


Folks were teeming with joy Tuesday at Bellevue Golf Course, which booked out within minutes of Gov. Jay Inslee's announcement last week that it was OK to play golf after a two-month shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.




coronavirus

Coronavirus unemployment: Bartenders, dental assistants top list of Washington’s hardest-hit jobs


About 14,800 initial unemployment claims by bartenders were filed from March 8 through April 25, which closely matches the number of people estimated to work as bartenders in Washington in the second quarter of 2020.




coronavirus

Coronavirus daily news updates, May 8: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the nation


Throughout Friday, on this page, we’ll be posting updates from Seattle Times journalists and others on the pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world.




coronavirus

Churches sue Gov. Brown over Oregon coronavirus restrictions


The suit argues that emergency powers only last for 30 days and after that Brown would have needed legislative approval.




coronavirus

Oregon Lottery cutting jobs, pay amid coronavirus pandemic


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Lottery officials will slash 60 jobs and furlough most other workers in response to a budget gap that comes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and state stay-home order. The cuts come six weeks after Oregonians last gambled on video lottery machines, which bring in the majority of the […]




coronavirus

TSA employees at Sea-Tac, other airports must now wear masks to slow spread of coronavirus


Five TSA employees nationwide have died of COVID-19, and 516 employees have tested positive, including seven at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.




coronavirus

Detainees sue; Tacoma’s Northwest immigration jail has positive coronavirus test


More than 750 immigration detainees at more than 40 detention facilities around the country have tested positive for the disease, a number that activists say may be an undercount given a paucity of testing at some facilities.




coronavirus

GOP’s Freed withdraws request for court order; lawsuit over coronavirus ban on religious gatherings continues


Inslee's stay-home order, initially issued in March, bans church and religious services, but permits one-on-one "religious counseling," state lawyers argued.




coronavirus

Clinical trial enrollment plummets as volunteers are scared off coronavirus drugs promoted by Trump


One of the hottest debates in the coronavirus pandemic is whether the malaria drugs promoted as possible treatments by President Donald Trump really work. But Americans don’t seem overly eager to help answer the question. Enrollment in several clinical trials of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — including two by the University of Washington — has been […]




coronavirus

Alan Lund, who taught and directed music throughout the Seattle area, dies at 81 from coronavirus complications


Alan Lund taught music in the Bellevue and Highline School Districts, and directed music for the Seattle Opera Chorus, the Eastside’s Cascadian Chorale, the Boeing Chorale and, most notably, the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society.




coronavirus

Coronavirus daily news updates, May 9: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the nation


While this year’s Mother’s Day weekend promises warm weather, Seattle officials are restricting hours in city parks out of fears that large crowds hoping to enjoy the sun could further spread the novel coronavirus. A recent report shows the COVID-19 transmission rate in Western Washington may be steadily increasing, suggesting that the number of virus cases […]




coronavirus

In coronavirus closures, Washington state pot and liquor stores can stay open; sales have spiked for a while


Pot shops and many, if not most, liquor stores in this state are considered “essential businesses” and can stay open under Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order.




coronavirus

Photos of the day, April 27: Seattle Times photographers document life during the coronavirus pandemic


Throughout the day, on this page, we will share images from Seattle Times staff photographers documenting the coronavirus outbreak and its effect on Seattle and the Puget Sound area. The previous day’s post can be found here.




coronavirus

Photos: Masks, precautions as a pulled-back world begins to reconnect amid coronavirus





coronavirus

Photos of the day, April 28: Seattle Times photographers document life during the coronavirus pandemic


Throughout the day, on this page, we will share images from Seattle Times staff photographers documenting the coronavirus outbreak and its effect on Seattle and the Puget Sound area. The previous day’s post can be found here.