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Photographs documenting the Seattle cityscape during the COVID-19 pandemic, April 2020

Overview of the Collection

Title
Photographs documenting the Seattle cityscape during the COVID-19 pandemic
Dates
April 2020 (inclusive)
Quantity
288 digital photographs
Collection Number
PH1621
Summary
Photographs relating to the effect of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak on the Seattle area community
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Kristin Kinsey and Annabelle Larner are University of Washington Libraries Special Collections staff members.

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Historical Background

The first confirmed case of the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States was announced by the Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 21, 2020. The patient had recently returned from Wuhan, China, on January 15, 2020, where a pneumonia outbreak caused by the coronavirus started in December 2019. This case marks the beginning of the coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak in Washington State and the beginning of a radical change in the lives of the citizens of Washington and the rest of the United States. The virus rapidly spread through the population so that within a month, businesses were closed and boarded up, unemployment soared to record highs as people lost their jobs overnight, schools and public events were canceled. People began stocking up on toilet paper, hand sanitizer and other products leaving grocery store shelves bare of some products. By March 23rd, Governor Jay Inslee directed Washington residents to stay home by executive order with exceptions for essential critical infrastructure workers. Until mid-March, Washington State had the highest number of confirmed cases and the highest number per capita of any state in the country, when it was surpassed by New York State as the virus spread throughout the country.

A brief timeline of the coronavirus in Washington through March:
  • January 21, 2020: The first case of coronavirus in the U.S. reported in Washington State.
  • February 11, 2020: The World Health Organization announced that the novel coronavirus' formal new name is COVID-19. "Co" stands for coronavirus, "Vi" is for virus and "D" is for disease. (Health officials purposely avoid naming COVID-19 after a geographical location, animal or group of people, so as not to stigmatize people or places.)
  • February 29, 2020: At 9:38 Washington State confirmed the first death from Covid-19 in Washington State and in the United States. It was at Evergreen Health in Kirkland and was a patient who came in from the Life Care Center of Kirkland, near Seattle. (It was later announced that two other deaths in Washington had happened on February 26 were also due to COVID-19.) The outbreak seemed to be centered around the Life Care Center in Kirkland.
  • March 1, 2020: A local postal service employee tested positive for the coronavirus. Some local schools announced closures. Local stores, such as, Costco and other large retailers were packed with people stocking up on toilet paper and other supplies.
  • March 3, 2020: Coronavirus related deaths in Washington State increased to nine with the Life Care Center in Kirkland remaining the epicenter of the outbreak. More schools announced closures for up to 14 days. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan declared a state of emergency.
  • March 5, 2020: Coronavirus cases were now happening statewide with the total cases at 70 with 11 deaths. Snohomish County and Everett officials declared a state of emergency. Monroe School District schools closed. Vice President Mike Pence landed in Washington and met with Governor Jay Inslee. Employees of Amazon, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Boeing and Starbucks corporate offices whose jobs could be done remotely were advised to work from home.
  • March 6, 2020: Emerald City Comicon, which brings tens of thousands of visitors to Seattle, was postponed. Other large events locally and nationally were canceled. The University of Washington announced classes would no longer meet in person beginning the following Monday and would stay closed until the end of the winter quarter. Other local colleges also announced classes would no longer meet in person.
  • March 11, 2020: The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. At this time there were 374 confirmed cases and 31 deaths in the state and the virus had spread to at least 13 counties in the state. Governor Inslee banned gatherings of more than 250 people in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Most local public schools announced they were closing through the end of March. The Sounders postponed their March 21 match, and the Mariners were working with Major League Baseball on how to handle games. The Woodland Park Zoo closed for the month.
  • March 12, 2020: The statewide death count increased to 31 from 457 total cases. Governor Inslee declared that all schools in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties would close through April 24. The Washington Department of Corrections stopped visits and limited events in prisons. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said all library locations and community centers would be closed starting March 14 until at least April 13. The Space Needle and the Seattle Art Museum suspended their operations until March 31.
  • March 15, 2020: The number of confirmed cases in the state reached 772 with 42 deaths (29 of the deaths were linked to Life Care Center of Kirkland). Governor Inslee announced that all entertainment and recreational facilities, including gyms, were to close, as well as bars and restaurants; however, restaurants would be allowed to do takeout and delivery. He also announced that all schools would close the next day (Monday March 16th). Seattle suspended farmers markets to reduce the coronavirus spread. UW Medicine announced it plans to expand testing for the coronavirus and Washington’s U.S. Representative, Derek Kilmer, introduced the Coronavirus Worker Relief Act in Congress.
  • March 16, 2020: A Seattle woman became the first person in the country to receive an experimental coronavirus vaccine through Kaiser Permanente. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau closed the border to non-citizens amid the pandemic. The total number of coronavirus cases in Washington State was 904 with at least 48 deaths, according to the Department of Health.
  • March 17, 2020: Coronavirus cases were confirmed in all 50 states. Governor Inslee signed multiple coronavirus relief bills. In Washington there were at least 1,009 cases statewide with 54 deaths.
  • March 18, 2020: The world-wide count of coronavirus cases passed 200,000 with Washington’s cases at 1187 with 66 deaths. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reported the county’s first coronavirus death. Governor Inslee announced a 30-day statewide moratorium on evictions. The Seattle International Film Festival was cancelled. The University of Washington announced that it extended its remote instruction through the spring quarter.
  • March 20, 2020: The Department of Health reported the statewide count to 1512 confirmed cases with 81 deaths. Governor Inslee sent a letter to President Trump requesting a federal major disaster declaration. The mayor of Everett issued a directive instructing all residents to stay home, with exceptions for essential activities.
  • March 23, 2020: Governor Jay Inslee issued a statewide executive stay-at-home order to last at least two weeks. Later it was extended to last at least to May 4th. Inslee’s executive order had exceptions for essential critical infrastructure workers, including first responders and stores such as, grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, liquor stores that sell food and food banks. Boeing announced a temporary suspension of production at its Puget Sound facilities. The State Department of Health reported 2,221 cases with 110 deaths.
  • March 25, 2020: As of this date, the Department of Health said 34,292 people were tested in Washington State with 2,580 positive tests and 132 deaths. Washington State University postponed its spring commencement. Federal officials reached a deal on a $2 trillion aid package. Prince Charles tested positive for the coronavirus.
  • March 26, 2020: More than 133,000 people in Washington State filed for unemployment benefits in the previous week and a record 3.3 million Americans filed new unemployment claims nationwide. The United States overtook all other counties for the number of confirmed coronavirus cases. New York passed Washington State for the highest number of cases in a state with 519 deaths from 44,635 reported cases whereas Washington State had 3,207 cases with 147 deaths.
  • March 29, 2020: The Washington State Department of Health reported 4,896 coronavirus cases with 195 deaths.
  • April 1, 2020: On April 1, State Department of Health staff said there were 247 deaths from 5,984 cases through the end of March. Nationwide the U.S. death toll topped 5,000. By the end of April the number of cases in the US had reached over 1 million with deaths over 60,000 and climbing. The lack of the federal government to offer or support any useful strategies to deal with the pandemic increased the difficulty in eradicating the disease The insistence on some states opening up prematurely caused the prediction for the numbers of cases and deaths to rise substantially.

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Content Description

Photographs relating to the effect of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak on the Seattle area community.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View the digital version of the collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donor: Kris Kinsey, April 2020; Annabelle Larner, April 2020.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • COVID-19 (Disease)
  • Epidemics--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)--History--21st century--Photographs

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Kinsey, Kris (photographer)
    • Larner, Annabelle (photographer)
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