March 16, 2020
On Monday, March 16, 2020 Lakewood City Manager John J. Caulfield proclaimed a state of emergency in the city of Lakewood in response to COVID-19. The Lakewood City Council ratified the declaration at its meeting the same evening.
The declaration is a proactive move on behalf of the city, which has currently seen minimal disruptions to its day-to-day operations due to COVID-19. However, the community, including residents, families, students and businesses have experienced severe disruption to their daily lives due to the increased diagnoses of COVID-19 across the state, including the region’s three largest counties: King, Snohomish and Pierce.
Having the proclamation of civil emergency in place allows city leaders to take necessary and extraordinary measures that are required to inhibit a dramatic spike in occurrences of COVID-19. It also acknowledges that the city’s response will require the use of all city resources and as a result means the city will need to access state and federal resources, including financial assistance.
Currently City Hall is operating on regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.), however visitors are asked to remain home if experiencing flu-like symptoms or other illness. Visitors are also asked to practice social distancing and remain six feet from public counter space in an effort to limit the potential spread of the virus.
The city’s police officers are equipped with personal protective equipment for responding to incidents where people may be sick, and are taking extra precautions and steps to limit public contacts.
Additionally, the Lakewood Senior Activity Center implemented a temporary closure effective March 17 to March 31 out of an abundance of caution for its active older adult members. The center will reassess at the end of the month whether it can reopen based on the recommendations of public health officials.
The city urges all residents at this time to follow the directives of public health officials. It also encourages residents to support one another and help neighbors or friends if they are unable to grocery shop or get items they need. We also encourage residents to support local business where you can, either through purchasing food to-go from restaurants that are no longer allowed to offer dine-in seating, or by other means.
The city also urges its residents to find ways to relieve the stress and anxiety felt right now in light of the uncertainty around this situation. City parks and trails are open and are a great stress reliever – especially if you put away your phone and enjoy the beauty around you.
The city thanks all of its residents for coming together during this time and encourages people to stay up to date on the latest health directives from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.