Coronavirus Update: State Parks Opening and Watch Out for Scams

ViewOnline
House Speaker Tina Kotek

Coronavirus Update: State Parks Opening and Watch Out for Scams

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Governor Brown announced that some state parks will reopen as of today. An executive order will be coming soon allowing ski resorts to reopen. Her full release is available here and The Oregonian has additional details here. There is not a comprehensive list of all parks and other recreation areas that are reopening at this point, but I will provide more information when it’s available.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) has a list of the small number of inland state parks that will reopen here, along with more details. Columbia River Gorge parks and recreation areas, along with coastal areas, will remain closed for now.

As a reminder, playgrounds and public play structures remain closed. Local park restrictions are set by cities and local park districts.

The Governor and the Oregon Health Authority have these tips when planning to utilize these outdoor areas:

Prepare before you go:

  • Limit your recreation activities, and recreate only with people in your own household.
  • Check what’s open before leaving home. Your favorite trail or camp site may remain closed, or need to be closed on a temporary basis, to prevent crowding and protect public health.
  • Plan ahead and come prepared as service levels may be different than you are accustomed to.
  • Visitors may find limited restroom services available. Plan to bring your own soap, water, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper.
  • Bring a mask to cover your nose and mouth. Visit less crowded areas, visit during off-peak times, and have a back-up plan.
  • Not feeling well? Don’t go. If you have symptoms of a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, stay home.

Take care when you get there:

  • Be safe and responsible by choosing activities within your comfort zone.
  • Leave no trace, and pack out what you pack in.
  • Maintain your own personal hygiene like washing your hands often, bringing your own water, hand sanitizer, soap, and toilet paper.
  • Avoid crowds. Be prepared for last minute changes to ensure the safety and health of others.
  • All of the standard ways to protect public health apply in the outdoors too, like maintaining physical distance.
  • Keep at least 6 feet between you and other Oregonians enjoying the outdoors. Launch one boat at a time to ensure other Oregonians have enough space to launch safely and securely.
  • Leave at least one parking space between your vehicle and the vehicle next to you.
  • It is wildfire season. Please remain safe and vigilant to ensure forest health and safety. Do not start fires in undesignated areas. Check if your campground or park allows outdoor fires before you strike a match. If permitted, make sure you are building a campfire properly and that you have water or an extinguisher on hand. Before you leave, ensure the campfire is out. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave.

Watch For Scams!

I’ve written a few times in this newsletter about the risks of potential scammers looking to take advantage of people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. I’m glad to see today that Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced a state-federal partnership to protect Oregonians from fraud related to COVID-19.

In particular, the Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney encourage Oregonians to be on the lookout for:

  • Testing scams — someone trying to sell you an unauthorized coronavirus cure, vaccine, or testing kit or going door-to-door performing fake tests for money;
  • Charity scams — someone soliciting donations for individuals or areas affected by coronavirus or charities purportedly working on behalf of coronavirus victims;
  • Price gouging scams — businesses marking up the price of essential consumer goods and selling them at higher prices than what the goods would normally be sold for; and
  • Identity scams — people pretending to be a government official asking you for personal identifying information, access to your bank or unemployment insurance account, or offering to help you access government benefits faster, including economic impact payments.

If you or someone you know have been the victim of a COVID-related scam or any other COVID-related fraud, please contact the Oregon Department of Justice at 1-877-877-9392, or online at www.OregonConsumer.Gov. If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, please call 911.


New Data on Recovery and Location

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) released updated recovery data. Of the 2,633 surviving COVID-19 cases (at the time of this analysis), 1,125 (42.7%) are considered recovered and 821 (31.2%) are not yet recovered. OHA is still assessing recovery status for 687 (26.1%) of the COVID-19 cases.

The agency’s full weekly report now includes COVID-19 case data by zip code and by cases per 10,000 within a zip code.

The agency’s full weekly report, which also includes updated data on most common symptoms and county-by-county recovery rates, is available in full here.


The Latest News

  • The Oregon Health Authority announced 72 more diagnosed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 2,817. Sadly, four more people have died, meaning there have been 113 confirmed deaths from coronavirus in Oregon. Additionally, the state has also started tracking new presumptive cases, which includes people who have symptoms and had close contact with someone diagnosed but hadn’t tested positive themselves. There are eight more of these cases.

OHA COVID-19 Update 050520

OHA Hosptial Capacity 050520

Disaster Loan Option for Agricultural Businesses

The Small Business Administration has agreed to make loans through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program available to agricultural businesses. The program offers loans up to $2 million to qualifying small businesses that have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Applications are available here and eligible businesses who need this relief are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, given the high demand.


To read past newsletters, you can go to this link. For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx

Please email me at Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed by the OHA. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.

Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.

We are in this together, we will get through this together: United Oregon

Best,

Tina

Tina Kotek

State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House

email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek