SPOKANE, Wash., March. 13, 2020, 5:30 p.m. PDT:  Following actions taken by our federal government and state governments in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, Avista has elevated its response protocol and taken swift action to continue to mitigate the health and safety risk of the Coronavirus to the Company’s employees, customers and contractors. Beginning Wednesday, March 18, all Avista offices will be closed to the public and employees with job functions not critical to providing safe and reliable electric and natural gas service or essential business support services will be required to work from or stay at home.

“While there are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus among Avista employees, the recent response to the outbreak from our state and federal governments has demonstrated the need to move quickly to respond to the changing situation and preserve the health and safety of our employees, customers and all those we serve,” said Dennis Vermillion, Avista president and CEO. “We continue to uphold our obligation to provide safe and reliable service and are focused on ensuring our critical function is our primary business focus at this time. We’ve taken steps over the last few weeks to ensure those employees whose responsibilities are critical to the delivery of our service are prepared and well-positioned to continue on in their roles without interruption.”

“We understand this is a challenging and unprecedented situation for our customers, employees and communities, and we’re prepared to adapt as needed and provide support,” Vermillion said. “Avista has stopped all utility disconnects in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. We know the way we serve and engage with our customers during this uncertain time will look and feel different, but be assured we remain committed to managing through this together.”

Avista maintains appropriate staffing for critical business functions, and personnel will continue to respond to calls for the safe, reliable delivery of service.

Customers can reach us to report outages or natural gas odors, make payments and conduct additional business in a number of ways, including:

• Online at myavista.com
• The Avista Mobile app
• Phone: (800) 227-9187
• Pay by text: text PAY to AVISTA (284-782)
• Pay stations: Find a pay station. Please note, these are individual businesses and subject to closure. Confirm availability before the visit.
• Pay by Mail: Avista Utilities
  1411 E. Mission Ave
  Spokane, WA 99252-0001

If customers find themselves facing financial difficulties, they are encouraged to call Avista at (800) 227-9187.

Avista remains committed to keeping our stakeholders updated, and will communicate any additional changes should the status of this situation shift.

About Avista Corp.

Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is the operating division that provides electric service to 393,000 customers and natural gas to 361,000 customers. Its service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.7 million. Alaska Energy and Resources Company is an Avista subsidiary that provides retail electric service in the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska, through its subsidiary Alaska Electric Light and Power Company. Avista stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA."  For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com.

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