C.O. COVID-19 impacts: Monday govt., school, agency announcements
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- While President Trump and Gov. Kate Brown made major announcements to make Monday amid the COVID-19 virus outbreak, several Central Oregon governments, schools and agencies (as well as Oregon lawmakers) issued news releases and info updating the situation.
Here are the ones we received:
From the Central Oregon Emergency Information Network, late Monday afternoon:
Daily COVID-19 Update, March 16, 2020
NEW SOCIAL DISTANCING EXECUTIVE ORDER
Today, March 16, Gov. Kate Brown released an executive order with new guidelines for social distancing that prohibits all gatherings of more than 25 people and will restrict restaurants and bars to offering only take out and delivery service for at least the next four weeks. The restriction is set to begin Tuesday, March 17 in Oregon. The Governor further suggested that individuals avoid any gathering with 10 or more individuals and urged all businesses to accommodate social distancing or consider closing.
Dr. Wil Berry, a psychiatrist with Deschutes County Health Services, offered this advice: “If we wait to change daily habits until it feels like the problem is severe, it will be too late to have the biggest impact. As humans, we are used to worrying about all kinds of possible problems, and it is normal to delay getting stressed until the problems become real in our lives. We can protect each other, and save lives in this community, by working together to follow all of these recommendations right now.”
DESCHUTES COUNTY 9-1-1
Deschutes County 9-1-1 asks that those dialing 9-1-1 be sure to let dispatchers know if anyone at the location has flu-like symptoms. This information helps dispatchers ensure that first responders have all the information they need to bring appropriate equipment.
ST. CHARLES UPDATES
St. Charles Health System is taking a number of steps this week to increase safety for caregivers and patients, to preserve medical supplies and to prepare for a surge of patients.
Testing Protocols:
In response to a growing nationwide shortage of medical supplies, including personal protective gear like masks, as well as nasopharyngeal swabs, which are used to collect samples to test for COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, St. Charles Health System has changed its criteria for testing. In order to be tested at a St. Charles outpatient facility, a patient must have a fever above 100.4 within the past 24 hours, a cough, shortness of breath AND one of the following: Age greater than 60 years, or, immunosuppressed or a chronic disease of one of the following: cardiovascular system, pulmonary system, or diabetes mellitus.
Caregiver and patients:
The Community Pharmacy at St. Charles Bend is now offering drive-up service. St. Charles Outpatient Rehabilitation has closed its services and canceled appointments for two weeks. Visitor restrictions are in effect. Caregivers are entering St. Charles Bend through access control points. All four hospital locations, Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond, are starting to use external triage tents.
Preparing for patients:
In anticipation of an influx of patients, St. Charles Health System is making some significant changes to how and where patients are cared for in our communities. The following will occur starting this week: High-acuity patients, as well as all pediatric patients, will be cared for at the Bend hospital. Lower-acuity patients will be cared for at the Madras, Prineville and Redmond hospitals. Learn more about these changes on the St. Charles website.
COVID-19 TESTING
Due to issues with the national supply, availability for testing for COVID-19 in Oregon is not yet meeting demand.
The Oregon State Public Health Lab (OSPHL) is conducting laboratory testing of prioritized samples sent, using guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Oregon Health Authority to protect inventory for higher risk cases, public health investigations and safety net. The state lab can process up to 80 tests a day and is building surge capacity if needed.
Commercial labs can receive samples that may not meet the strict guidelines required by the OSPHL. There is currently a backlog at private labs throughout the state causing delays in test results.
UPDATES ON NEW LOCAL CASES
Moving forward, COVID-19 case count updates will be provided by daily Oregon Health Authority news releases. Local public health departments will continue to update their websites, but will not issue news releases for new cases.
Residents can find current numbers on cases of COVID-19 in Oregon at www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus or by dialing 2-1-1. Oregon and Deschutes County have cases that have no known link to someone who has COVID-19 or travel to an affected region. This is often referred to as community spread. State health officials expect to find more cases in the community. OHA and local public health authorities are working with people who had direct close contact with known cases, and travelers returning home to Oregon. Public health lets these contacts know what symptoms they need to watch for and how to seek medical care, should they need it, in a way that avoids exposing others.
ABOUT COEIN
COEIN’s website, www.coemergencyinfo.blogspot.com provides a collective resource for up-to-date information. Access to accurate, timely information both locally and nationally is encouraged. Our County Public Health experts point to the Oregon Health Authority and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as good sources of information.
Daily situation updates are available via email at http://bit.ly/COVID19UPDATES
Central Oregon Emergency Information Network (COEIN), includes Deschutes County Health Services, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, St. Charles Health System, Crook County Health Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Health Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, tri-county public schools, City of Bend, Bend Police, Bend Fire & Rescue, and others. COEIN’s purpose is to collect, coordinate and distribute timely and accurate information.
Accommodation Information for People with Disabilities
To obtain this information in an alternate format such as Braille, large print, electronic formats, etc. please contact the COEIN JIC at 541.316.0087 or centraloregoninfo@gmail.com.
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City of Redmond Offices Close to the Public March 17 – March 31
Essential City Services to Continue with Limited Staffing Levels
REDMOND, OREGON – Following Governor Kate Brown’s guidance this afternoon regarding measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), City of Redmond will be closing all City-owned buildings to public access beginning Tuesday, March 17 thru March 31. All essential City services will continue with limited staffing levels, customers may experience periodic delays.
City services, particularly the delivery of public safety, public services (water, wastewater, etc.) will continue. This closure does not apply to the Redmond Municipal Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration has primary jurisdiction over airports and we will follow their lead as directed.
“The City is paying close attention to actions taken at the federal, state and local levels to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” said Redmond Mayor George Endicott. “All of us need to contribute to the safety, security, health and well-being of everyone in our community.”
“The decision to enact these closures was made after thoughtful deliberation and in response to the need to slow the spread of the virus,” said Redmond City Manager Keith Witcosky.
The following actions take effective March 17:
Public Safety
- The Redmond Police Department encourages residents to use their online reporting tool for non-emergency reports: www.ci.redmond.or.us/reportacrime, or call the non-emergency line at (541) 693-6911. All emergencies should call 911
- The department’s lobby will be closed to the public, a Call Box is located by the front doors to contact staff.
- Public fingerprinting service and ride-a-longs have been suspended until further notice.
City Facilities
- Redmond City Hall 411 SW 9th St., the Public Works complex at 243 E. Antler Ave., and the Police Department Lobby at 777 SW Deschutes will be closed to the public through March 31; however, City operations will continue to operate. For questions please call (541) 923-7710 during regular business hours.
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City of Sisters Response to COVID-19
The City of Sisters is taking steps to limit exposure to and spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). In line with state restrictions and federal guidelines, the City of Sisters will be closing City Hall to the public during normal business hours until April 1. Regular services and day to day operations will continue. All board and committee meetings will be canceled effective today through April 15.
- All standing advisory board and committee meetings and activities are cancelled.
- At this time, scheduled City Council meetings will continue to occur, but with social distancing modifications including reducing meeting length and increased space between chairs. The City is working on establishing a system for citizens to call in and listen to City Council meetings.
- We will not be enforcing water shut-offs for the next 45-days to ensure people have critical access to water.
- Garbage collection provided by Republic Services will continue as scheduled. If a commercial business would like to suspend garbage collection, they should contact Republic Services directly
- The City will work with local partners to coordinate resources for the business community. Look for updates on our website as they become available.
- This is the link the City has established for coronavirus information and resources:
www.ci.sisters.or.us/administration/page/coronavirus-information-and-resources
These changes aim to protect the health of our community as well as our work force, so we can continue to provide crucial City services to our customers. We will send updates as frequently as possible to make sure you are informed about how the City as an organization will respond to COVID-19. Our management team is meeting frequently to share information and discuss any modifications to our operations. The situation is continually evolving, and we may need to make additional changes in the future. For the most current information please subscribe to our e-notifications at: www.ci.sisters.or.us/newsletter/subscriptions
For information on COVID-19:
- Deschutes County Health Services for countywide updates: www.deschutes.org/covid19
- Oregon Health Authority for statewide updates: www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus
- Centers for Disease Control for U.S. updates: www.cdc.gov/covid19
- Central Oregon Emergency Information Network (COEIN) for local updates: http://coemergencyinfo.blogspot.com/
Crook County schools expand food service during COVID-19 closure
Meal program to serve over 150 children each weekday
Food services and transportation leaders are teaming up to ensure students in the Crook County School District (CCSD) receive meals through spring break. Starting Tuesday, March 17th, students can pick up two meals per day (breakfast and lunch) at nine different locations.
The food deliveries will occur Monday through Friday and CCSD will continue the meal program if school closures are extended beyond spring break. The food will be delivered on CCSD buses between 12pm-1pm each weekday. There will be a food station at Pioneer School on 1st Street.
“School closures can put enormous stress on families who rely on basic meals,” said Superintendent, Dr. Sara Johnson. “It’s important that we continue serving our students even if they can’t be in the classroom.”
Here are the specific times and locations where the meals will be delivered. The buses will be at each location for approximately 10 minutes.
Juniper Canyon
- 12:00pm – Juniper Grove RV Park, 11712 Se Davis Loop #00
- 12:20pm – SE Davis Loop & Cayuse Road
- 12:40pm – SE Davis Loop & Remington
Juniper Acres
- 12:00pm - Reservoir Road & Cascade Way
City of Prineville
- 12:00pm – Ochoco School Crossing , 440 NW Madras Highway
- 12:00pm – Pioneer School, 641 E 1st Street
- 1:00pm - 3050 NE Main Trailer Park
Outside Prineville
- 12:00pm – Crystal Corral Mobile Home Park, 11777 NE Ochoco Hwy
- 12:20pm - Lakeshore RV Park, 12333 NE Ochoco Hwy
- 12:30pm - Ochoco West Community Center
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MERKLEY ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $7 MILLION IN FEDERAL SUPPORT TO OREGON TO HELP COMBAT CORONAVIRUS
Monday, March 16, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) awarded $7.2 million to Oregon to support the state’s effort to help contain and fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The funding is in addition to an initial $500,000 that the state received at the beginning of the month.
“As our states tackle the unique challenges of responding to coronavirus, the federal government needs to be a full partner,” Merkley said. “That’s why I am very pleased to announce that the CDC has awarded a much-needed $7.2 million for the efforts Oregon is undertaking to tackle this outbreak. We’re all in this together. I will continue to do everything I can to support Oregon’s hard work, and keep pressing the federal government for additional resources.”
The new funding comes from the bipartisan, $8.3 billion package of emergency funding that was signed into law earlier this month. Merkley pushed strongly to secure more funding for the CDC, small business disaster loans, reimbursements for state and local government expenses incurred fighting the coronavirus, and support for tribal governments—all of which are included in the package. And, as the top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Merkley worked with his counterparts to write Title I of the bill, including emergency authorizations and $61 million in new funding for FDA to help protect Americans from this emerging public health threat.
Merkley has launched a coronavirus resource page for Oregonians, which includes information on risk of exposure, prevention and treatment, and steps that he is taking to push the federal government to respond effectively and with urgency. That resource, which is being updated regularly, can be found at https://www.merkley.senate.gov/coronavirus.
And Merkley has taken a number of actions in the past week to protect American workers and families from the economic ramifications of the coronavirus: The senator pushed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to take measures to protect veterans from the coronavirus; urged President Trump to halt evictions and foreclosures, particularly for low-income, elderly, and disabled Americans; and pressed the CEOs of eight large telecommunication service providers to both suspend policies that limit access to internet services and expand internet services in rural and underserved areas. He is also pushing for an additional emergency package this week to respond to the economic impacts of the virus—including paid sick leave, emergency unemployment benefits, and more.
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Wyden Urges Trump to Immediately Maximize Telework for Federal Workers
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today, along with 26 of his colleagues, sent a letter to Donald Trump urging him to immediately issue an executive order directing agencies to utilize telework capabilities to the maximum possible extent.
While the administration has issued guidance recommending agencies expand their telework capabilities, too many federal employees are still required to come to work in-person when they can do their job from home. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health experts recommend practicing social-distancing, the federal government should lead by example and cease all policies that could endanger the health and safety of its employees and exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus. Oregon has an estimated 28,000 federal employees working within the state.
The senators wrote, “[we] urge you to immediately issue an executive order directing agencies to use telework to the maximum extent practicable in light of the COVID-19 emergency. The Office of Management and Budget issued guidance for agencies to increase telework flexibility in the National Capital Region, but your order should be a clear direction – rather than general guidance – and it should be worldwide in scope.”
The senators continued, “Your order should direct federal agencies to allow all telework-eligible federal workers to telework full-time, unless there is a clear and compelling reason not to do so for the effective operation of government. You should also order federal agencies to evaluate whether non-telework-eligible employees can be telework-eligible, and to do so for all employees where there is not a clear and compelling reason that telework is not compatible with the performance of their job functions.”
The senators closed the letter, noting, “Voluntary guidance is not enough – agencies need clear orders. In the absence of a clear order, agencies and managers have been hesitant to take major actions to shift towards telework and I hear from increasingly anxious federal workers in my state on a daily basis.”
Joining Wyden on the letter are U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Mark Warner, (D-Va., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Edward Markey, D-Mass., Sherrod Brown. D-Ohio, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Angus King, I-Maine, Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Tom Carper, D-Del., Tom Udall, D-N.M., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J.
A copy of the letter is available here.
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Legislative Leadership Calls for Special Session to Address COVID-19
Democrats and Republicans are working together to respond to crisis
SALEM, Ore. – Top Democratic and Republican leaders of the Oregon Legislature released the following statement in response to the coronavirus pandemic:
“We recognize the urgent and wide-ranging needs facing Oregonians as the worldwide coronavirus pandemic continues to develop. The Legislature will return for a special session as soon as we have an emergency response package that will address the statewide impacts on families, workers and businesses. The Special Joint Committee on Coronavirus Response will hold its first meeting on Wednesday.
“This is an uneasy time. Democrats and Republicans here in Oregon are working together to keep all of our communities safe. We must take care of each other and we must do all we can to save lives, reduce the spread of the disease, and build greater supports for workers and families.”
House Speaker Tina Kotek (D – Portland)
House Democratic Leader Barbara Smith Warner (D – Portland)
House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R – Canby)
Senate President Peter Courtney (D – Salem)
Senate Democratic Leader Ginny Burdick (D – Portland)
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STATE EMERGENCY COORDINATION CENTER RESPONDS TO COVID-19
Salem, OR – March 16, 2020 – In response to the spread of COVID-19 across the state of Oregon, the Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) at the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM), was activated March 9. All state and local agencies are collaborating in the ECC to support the Oregon Health Authority Agency Operations Center (AOC), which is the lead agency for public health operations, to ensure timely and consistent messaging and response.
The State ECC coordinates and supports state and local recovery efforts for COVID-19 through statewide emergency support function agencies (e.g., transportation, business, agriculture, etc.). This response team includes the Joint Information Center which will respond to all non-health related press inquiries regarding the COVID-19.
On March 7 the Governor convened the Coronavirus Response Team, comprised of the following state agencies and commissions: Department of Administrative Services, Oregon Health Authority, Department of Human Services, Oregon State Police, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Office of Emergency Management, Oregon Military Department, Oregon Department of Education, Department of Corrections, Oregon Youth Authority, Secretary of State, Oregon State Treasurer, and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to provide policy guidance.
As more response measures emerge to slow the spread of COVID-19, information will continue to be available through a variety of resources to help Oregonians prepare for and deal with the impact of COVID-19.
OEM and state partners encourage all Oregonians to do their part in whatever way that they can to help diminish the spread of COVID-19. This includes social distancing, washing hands often, covering coughs/sneezes and staying home if you are sick.
Detailed information is distributed through numerous channels, including the OEM COVID-19 tracking dashboard.
Other important resources for Oregonians:
- Oregon Health Authority
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Oregon Employment Department (information about COVID-19 Business Layoffs, Closures, Unemployment Insurance Benefits)
- Governor’s Office
