Seattle mayor advises against New Year’s Eve gatherings over COVID, weather concerns

While the region’s run of snow this week is likely at an end, Seattle roads will remain icy on Friday and Saturday due to below-freezing temperatures. Between that and ongoing concerns over a surge in COVID-19 cases, Mayor Jenny Durkan is advising people to reconsider their New Year’s Eve plans.

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“With both the rise of COVID-19 cases and hazardous road conditions, if you don’t need to travel, don’t travel. If you don’t need to gather for New Years Eve, don’t gather,” Durkan said in written statement put out on Thursday.

While the Seattle Department of Transportation has been working around the clock to treat and plow roads, its focus continues to be on clearing “the city’s most critical routes for transit and emergency services.”

“At this time, most of Seattle’s snow plow routes have at least one lane clear and passable in both directions,” SDOT says, adding that it will also be working to clear routes to COVID-19 testing and vaccination centers.

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That said, residential side streets are considered to be lower priorities, leaving snow on those streets to refreeze overnight.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases have continued to surpass record levels, having increased by 139% week-over-week in Seattle. The city is currently averaging over 630 new cases a day, well over the 90-case daily average Seattle experienced during the peak of its August surged fueled by the delta variant.

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