City of Bend extends emergency order discouraging tourist visits

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The city of Bend has extended its COVID-19 local state of emergency and administrative order discouraging travel to Bend.

“Extending the state of emergency and the travel order helps us support the health and safety of our community as we begin the phased process of reopening,” said City Manager Eric King. 

City councilors on Wednesday night, meeting again by video conference due to COVID-19, unanimously approved the extended declaration of a local state of emergency, which allows for temporary emergency policies related to procurement practices, facility closures, employee teleworking and public meeting protocols. It also says:

• The city won’t shut off water for non-payment of unpaid water bills during Phase I of reopening, and potentially into Phase II.
• Permitted special events are not allowed through Phase II, except for farmer’s markets on public property (exempt from the governor’s order). 
• The city has flexibility to allow additional space on sidewalks, parking areas or streets for eligible business operations to meet COVID-19 public health guidelines, provide a safer environment for customers and employees, and to stimulate the recovery and support of local businesses. (City councilors got a briefing on that topic Wednesday night and agreed after a lengthy discussion to also allow businesses to propose using public streets and possibly even closing them, partially or fully, though those impacts will mean serious scrutiny of all the details involved and an opportunity for the public to weigh in.)

The extended declaration of a local state of emergency can be found here. It was extended through Phase II of the Governor’s Reopening Oregon plan (which explains phasing). The start and end dates of Phase II have not been established by the state yet. Phase II could begin as early as June 5, if Deschutes County is able to meet state criteria for entering Phase II. 

The City Manager has also updated an order discouraging tourist travel and related activities in Bend through the completion of Phase I. In Deschutes County, Phase I began May 15 and could end on June 5 at the earliest, if Deschutes County meets state criteria to begin Phase II of reopening. Under this order:

• Travel away from home for recreational or vacation purposes is strongly discouraged and should be avoided.
• All stays at temporary lodging facilities in Bend are highly discouraged, unless for reasons of health, safety or employment.
• Operators of temporary lodging in Bend are strongly requested to refrain from booking any new reservations for tourist or vacation travel.

This order does not apply to reservations for stays longer than 30 days or residential stays of any length for people without permanent homes who are staying at a lodging facility through a voucher or other program.

The extended administrative order on travel can be found here.