Friday update from Central Oregon Emergency Info Network

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Here's the Friday afternoon update from the Joint Information Center at the Central Oregon Emergency Information Network:

City of Bend Discourages Recreational or Vacation Travel

The City of Bend announced an advisory temporarily discouraging recreational or vacation travel to Bend during the COVID-19 emergency. The advisory supports Governor Brown’s “Stay Home, Save Lives” orders to minimize non-essential travel to reduce exposure to and spread of COVID-19, novel coronavirus. The order remains in effect until April 28 unless extended by the City Manager. Here is a link to the order.

National Forest and Grassland Closures

To align with Governor Brown’s executive order, the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and the Crooked River National Grassland have temporarily closed all developed recreation sites, to include campgrounds, day-use sites, boat ramps, trailheads, Sno-Parks, fire lookouts, and OHV areas. Existing reservation holders will be notified via email and/or cell phone text messages if there are any changes affecting their reservation. Refunds will be issued for canceled reservations. For more information, visit the Deschutes National Forest website.

Recreation Opportunities at Home

With so much of Central Oregon’s parks and recreation system shut down due to precautions for COVID-19, there are still some options for active behavior.

While the Bend Park and Recreation District (BPRD) has temporarily closed facilities, playgrounds, skateparks, exercise equipment and sports courts, outdoor parks and trails are open for limited public use and provide a much-needed opportunity to get outside. Park users must take personal measures to maintain social distancing. BPRD is also offering Play at Home activities including fitness, arts and crafts, backyard nature and outdoor activities, sports drills and skills, cooking, games and more.

The Redmond Area Parks and Recreation District and Madras’ MAC Recreation District are closed but continue to offer open spaces, with proper precautions. 

Local Libraries Offerings

Though area libraries are closed, they’re still offering free online access to many things — including online workshops, language lessons, movie streaming, music downloading and more. They’ve also extended due dates for materials already checked out.

Specific online offerings differ by county and include:

• Deschutes Public Library: Storytime videos for kids, online crafting classes and workshops, online language lessons, movies, documentaries, television series, e-books, audio books and magazines. Visit https://bit.ly/DeschutesLibrary
• Crook County Library: Animated e-books, technology tutorials, research and learning resources, e-books, audio books and more. Visithttps://www.crooklib.org
• Jefferson County Public Library: Movies, documentaries, music, audio books, and e-books. Visithttps://jeffcolibrary.org

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.