Submitted by San Juan County

Four new positive COVID test results have been reported for San Juan County. The total case count for the islands is now 47. Three of these cases are on San Juan Island, and one is on Orcas. Though investigations are ongoing, early results suggest that that two of the San Juan cases are household contacts of each other.

Here’s a reality check for all of us:

• Cases are up 47 percent in Washington over the last week.

• San Juan County has gone from zero new cases in two months to 14 new cases in just over two weeks.

• Healthcare systems across the United States are increasingly overwhelmed and their capacity to effectively support our medical needs is diminishing.

• San Juan County is now at the point where active community transmission in the islands is likely. It is safe to assume that there are now asymptomatic individuals carrying the illness in our community.

• Our decisions and our behavior are the very best tools we have to minimize further spread. We know that shrinking our bubbles, covering our faces, and staying close to homework and work well.

HIGHER risk activities include:

• Unmasked, prolonged, and close-contact indoor activities with people from outside our immediate household.

Risk increases with more people, smaller spaces, higher activity, and hourly or daily variation in who is using the space.

• Traveling by air, or any other means that involve close contact with individuals from outside of our household.

LOWER (but not zero) risk activities include:

• Anything outdoors other than very close and extended unmasked contact.

• Masked short-duration shopping or errand running, either on the island or off.

• Masked, spaced out, and safety-conscious indoor activities with consistent groups of individuals.

This is the third and most severe surge of cases. Without significant changes in our collective behavior, it will continue to worsen.