I hope you are safe, healthy and at home. This has certainly been an unprecedented time for all of us in our communities, state and across the country. There is a lot of information about COVID-19 and I want to make sure I’m bringing you factual up-to-date news from around our state and direct information about what my colleagues and I have been working on in the Legislative Joint Coronavirus Response Committee.
We have been working around the clock with local and state leaders, county health officials, first responders, the Oregon Health Authority and Governor Brown to prevent, slow and stop the spread that’s having such a significant and serious impact on individuals, small businesses and our state.
I hope you find the updates and resources we’re sharing helpful and informative. Please reach out if there is more information I can provide at this time.
Legislative Action
As a member of the Joint Legislative Coronavirus Response Committee, I have been participating in committee meetings from my home here in Vale. We have met a handful of times over the past week and have had hours of presentations, discussions and testimony from people all across Oregon in preparation for a legislative special session to allow us to make the temporary changes to our current laws to provide relief to Oregonians who need it most. These include our neighbors who have lost their jobs since the COVID-19 outbreak, people who are at risk of losing their homes and businesses, parents and teachers concerned about school and childcare, healthcare workers and first responders, and others who have been greatly impacted by the preventative measures taken by the state during this time.
State Action
Governor Brown recently issued Executive Order 20-12 and launched the "Stay Home. Stay Safe" informational campaign to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
I know there are a lot of questions about the Executive Orders being released by Governor Brown. My staff and I are working remotely, and we are here full-time to answer your questions and address your concerns. To be safe, I encourage you to follow the recommendations to limit your social and public activities to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to vulnerable communities. These directives coming from Governor are absolutely critical to ceasing the spread of COVID-19 and we all need to do our very best to follow them.
An Oregonian article explains Executive Order 20-12 and how citizens and businesses are affected by the directive.
Oregon Health Authority and Resources
You can find more information and regular updates regarding COVID-19 on the Oregon Health Authority’s website and on their Frequently Asked Questions page.
Business Resources
The following list of resources is from Oregon’s Secretary of State’s Office. I would encourage you to visit if they fit your need. The fastest way to get in touch with the SOS team is by emailing business.sos@oregon.gov, using the “Need Help?” button found on most state agency websites or visiting www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness.
We know this is a challenging time and that we are in uncharted territory. We’re all doing our best to navigate it and we thank you for doing the same. Please be courteous of others, and if you have an opportunity, please thank a public health professionals and our first responders who are working diligently during this time to keep us healthy, safe and protected.
As always, I am here alongside you and in service to you to answer any questions you may have about COVID-19 or anything else. Please contact my office if we can do anything to assist you during this time.
Please stay safe, stay healthy and stay home.
Warm regards,
