SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — The COVID-19 isolation and quarantine site at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett will be relocated to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, said Scott North, manager of Snohomish County’s Joint Information Center.
The facility has only provided shelter to fewer than 30 people since it opened in April, but it is able to house up to 150 people.
The site will be moved June 25-26.
“We don’t know what this fall and winter will bring,” Jason Biermann, director of the county’s Department of Emergency Management, said in a statement. “The Fairgrounds offers flexibility so we can meet our current need and build capacity if necessary, to serve Snohomish County residents and our partners.”
The county has not seen a surge in cases, although the Department of Health reported infections appear to be increasing across the state.
“It is coming back and coming back strong,” David Postman, chief of staff for Gov. Jay Inslee, told reporters Tuesday. “The modelers are very alarmed.”
The report is “concerning” and a reminder for the public to “remain vigilant” because the situation can change swiftly, said Chris Spitters, Snohomish County’s health officer.
The new site is also expected to save the county money.
Using the arena has cost the county $15,000 a month in rent, North said. The fairgrounds, however, are owned by the county.
“While we are grateful for the partnership and support of the Angel of the Winds Arena, the Evergreen State Fairgrounds provides us a place to provide isolation and quarantine as effectively, at less cost, and without disrupting the normal operations of the arena,” County Executive Dave Somers said in a June 5 letter to Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas.
Officials project that the isolation and quarantine facility will roughly cost $7 million through the end of the year as more than $1 million has been spent on it.
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