Government assistance is available to Washingtonians who have lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But figuring out what type of aid you qualify for can be a challenge.

According to a recent poll, roughly 18 percent of U.S. households have already been hit with layoffs or reduced hours.

If that statistic includes you or someone close to you, the best place to start figuring out what’s next is the Washington Employee Security Department website. It features a comprehensive FAQ section to help workers in many scenarios including those who need to quarantine with a sick family member and those whose employers go out of business.

For the visual learners out there, this chart outlines what types of benefits you might be eligible for — paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, paid family and medical leave, or industrial insurance.

Food relief is also on the way for low-income residents. Mayor Jenny Durkan announced yesterday that the city would begin mailing out $5 million in Safeway vouchers to 6,250 families who are enrolled in food and child care subsidy programs.

In other news…

Drive-through coronavirus testing is now available to UW Medicine patients in Northgate and at several Kaiser Permanente locations around the region. The mobile clinics are available only to patients of those respective networks, and you must make an appointment to get tested. More testing sites are expected to be added in the coming days. (The Seattle Times)

Amazon is freeing up space in its warehouses by banning third-party sellers from shipping non-essential items through April 5. It also plans to hire 100,000 warehouse workers to keep up with demand for medical and household supplies. (GeekWire)

One silver lining in all of this: Takeout and delivery seems to be working well for some popular local restaurants. Fine-dining institution Canlis had cars lined up around the block for its first day of drive-through burger service, and Revel and Joule sold out of food in less than an hour during an experimental run at to-go service. (The Seattle Times)

📚 Our local libraries are closed, but Seattle Public Library has thousands of books, movies, and other media available online. No Netflix account? No problem. SPL card holders get access to a streaming service called Kanopy, featuring 30,000 indie and classic films. Eager to learn a new language? The library has several different e-learning tools. Check out all of SPL’s digital resources here.

🍎 One place that could use your help: the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. The center has continued serving lunch to local seniors on a grab-and-go basis, but grocery hoarding has made it difficult for them to keep a reliable stock of staples like sandwich bread and deli meats. Check out this story in the South Seattle Emerald to find out how to help.

🙉 Keep calm and otter on: That’s the message from the Woodland Park Zoo, which is updating its blog to include educational activities for overwhelmed parents to use with kids at home. The latest idea is guided play inspired by the zoo’s adorable river otter pups.

😋 Ordering food? Check out Intentionalist’s roundup of independent restaurants that are open for pick-up or delivery in the Seattle area.

🍽️ And for servers, bartenders, and other industry folks who have seen their hours cut or positions eliminated during this time of crisis, there’s now a local crowdfunding project called the Seattle Hospitality Emergency Fund. Go here to learn more and donate.

😅 Even more virtual yoga options: 8 Limbs Yoga is livestreaming its classes for free. Here’s where to find the latest schedule. —Thanks for the tip, Vikki W.!

🎶 The Live Music Project, a local classical music calendar, has turned its platform into a streaming service for choirs, symphonies, and operas from around the world.  —Thanks to Rachel C. for the heads up! 

🖼️ And speaking of virtual experiences, several museums across the globe — like the Louvre in Paris and Seoul’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art — offer virtual tours, either through their own websites or Google.

🎧 Sick of watching TV already? Step away from the screen and go analog with the help of Easy Street Records. The West Seattle record shop is now offering delivery throughout King County. You can phone in your order at 206-938-EASY or send them a message on Facebook.

Know of something else we should include here? Send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “bulletin board” and we’ll add it to a future newsletter. 

Staying home and avoiding people isn’t easy for anyone, but it can be especially challenging for the extroverts among us. One thing that helps: Having a local mascot to show us all how it’s done. 👣

— The Evergrey