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2020-03-05 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
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Empty stores, quarantined firefighters: Washington city at coronavirus epicenter reels as death toll rises
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[LA Times] KIRKLAND, Wash. ‐ Parents keep their children inside. Few people shake hands anymore. More than two dozen firefighters remain in quarantine. Restaurants and hair salons are close to empty.
Such is life in Kirkland, Wash., the suburb just east of Seattle known for its folksy downtown and spectacular lakefront views, but now above all as the U.S. epicenter of COVID-19.
Of the 11 U.S. deaths from the coronavirus epidemic, eight were residents of a local nursing home that is struggling to care for others who may have been infected. An additional death occurred at a Kirkland hospital.
"I can’t kiss my kids," said Hamid Dabbaghian, a 48-year-old cashier at the Kirkland Whole Foods who recently moved here from Iran and feared catching the virus from customers. "As a newcomer to the U.S., I’m worried about my family, and worried that if I die, what will they do."
Others in this city of 90,000 remain nonchalant or fatalistic, expressing sympathy for those who have died but determination to carry on.
"It’s not the Holocaust. It’s not Armageddon," said Doug Evanson, 57, an Uber driver who frequently drops healthcare workers at the nursing home. "I don’t get why I need to go out and buy cases of drinking water when I can just turn on the tap."
Kirkland is an upscale suburb on the east shore of Lake Washington, with sunset views over the water and the tops of Seattle towers beyond. Its downtown features art galleries, whimsical sculptures, a marina and a Little League baseball field.
Like many cities in the area, it’s undergoing rapid growth and gentrification, with condominium construction and rising real estate prices. It has a Google campus and Northwest University, a Christian liberal arts school. 
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Posted by Besoeker 2020-03-05 01:58||
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Posted by Skidmark 2020-03-05 10:47||
2020-03-05 10:47||
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Posted by jpal 2020-03-05 19:17||
2020-03-05 19:17||
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