Coronavirus update 11: May 15, 2020
Dear friends,
This morning I was pleased to attend the opening of Lane County’s COVID-19 Respite and Recovery Center, the re-purposed “old VA Clinic” on River Avenue. The facility will serve as a safe place for people who do not have the means to isolate themselves and are either awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test, or have tested positive for COVID-19. I’ve long worked on ways to make government work smarter: reduce red tape, and break down silos. This is a great example involving local, state, and federal staff working in concert to get to “yes.” As I said this morning “our constituents aren’t really interested in the color of the uniform or the government agency logo; what is most important is that someone is there to solve problems – or to show up and help.”
Lane County Health & Human Services, Emergency Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA pulled out the stops to get this ready in record time - just a couple of weeks.
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Here’s a picture of me when I rode my bicycle past it just last weekend.
The coming weeks will be a test of our determination to stay safe and healthy and protect public health as we start resuming some of the common activities we were used to and people go back to work. So … I made three more home-made masks this week so I have several to use as others are in the laundry basket.
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Wash your hands!
Cordially,
And new statewide guidelines announced
The state reviewed applications submitted by 33 counties to enter Phase I of reopening, and approved 31. Two counties, Marion and Polk, were not approved. Covering the Portland metro area, Washington, Clackamas, and Multnomah counties have not applied.
See the Governor’s press release, including videos and background information, here. You can see in-depth info about the status of each county, reopening phases and more at the Governor’s Safe and Strong Oregon page here.
State epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger, together with Director or the Oregon Health Authority, Pat Allen stressed in the press release that in any phase of reopening, it remains extremely important to practice measures to prevent transmission. Such measures include hygiene practices like washing hands and covering coughs, staying home when sick, and wearing a face covering in public.
 New Executive Order: A Safe and Strong Oregon. Establishes baseline guidelines and reopening phases found here in English and Spanish
Base guidelines for the entire state
For all counties regardless of reopening status, the following guidelines take effect May 15. See the blue graphic below for the timeline of reopening phases.
• Non-emergency medical care, dentist offices and veterinary care are open and operating, provided they meet required safety guidelines.
• Grocery stores, pharmacies, banks and credit unions, and gas stations are all open.
• Stand alone retail operations are open provided they meet required safety and physical distancing guidelines. Indoor and outdoor malls are closed.
• Personal care services such as salons and barbers, as well as gyms, are closed.
• Local outdoor recreation activities are open, including many state parks.
• Local cultural, civic and faith gatherings are allowed for up to 25 people provided physical distancing can be in place.
• Local social gatherings over 10 people are prohibited and those under 10 people must use physical distancing.
• Child care is open under certain restrictions, with priority placements for children of health care workers, first responders, and frontline workers.
• Summer camp and summer school program guidelines are forthcoming.
Resources for Eugene businesses: https://www.eugene-or.gov/4343/Business-Support
Small Business Development Center at LCC: https://lanesbdc.com/keeping-the-lights-on/
Lane County - Phase I
Lane County has been authorized to proceed with Phase I reopening based on its Blueprint for Reopening. This blueprint, highlighting those restrictions that have been relaxed, as well as those still in force, can be found here. Some highlights:
Restaurants and bars must comply with this Guidance
- Ensure tables are spaced at least six feet apart so that at least six feet between parties is maintained, including when customers approach or leave tables. (10 guests per party max.)
- Maintain meticulous hygiene, including frequent handwashing, gloves, using utensils instead of bare hands on food, and use of cloth face or disposable coverings (provided by the employer).
- End all on-site consumption of food and drinks by 10 p.m.
Hair and nail salons, barber shops operate under Guidance such as: six feet physical distancing between clients; appointments and pre-appointment health check required, including maintaining customer log; face coverings, capes, smocks required by employees and for clients, depending on the services provided; frequent hand-washing, thorough workstation cleaning.
Gyms and fitness studios operate under Guidance such as: limit maximum number of customers in classes and facilities to maintain distancing; hold activities outdoors when possible; and prohibit contact sports and using shared equipment.
Gathering size
Two types of gatherings have different size limitations, but are subject to the same physical distancing limitations. Cultural, civic and faith-based gatherings can have up to 25 participants, while social and recreational gatherings outside the home can have no more than 10.
Limiting travel is a key to containing the virus spread. It’s especially important to avoid unnecessary travel into counties that have entered Phase I from counties that have not done so.
Going back to work? Reopening your business? How does that work with UI?
If you have questions about being called back to work after receiving Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits or you own a business that’s about to reopen, go here to read all the most frequently asked questions about businesses reopening that OED has received. It addresses various situations that have presented themselves when employees are called back to work, and what situations would or would not allow them to continue claiming UI benefits.
Here's what it looks like when we work together in the virtual office: we use technology as we connect with each other to work on constituent issues, get answers, and prepare for meetings.
COVID-19 cases recovered, by County
This is a “snapshot” of a table published by Oregon Health Authority on May 12.The full table and more info is available in the OHA Weekly report. OHA explains:
Oregon is assessing recovery of COVID-19 cases by calling each case to determine if they have recovered and the date of recovery. A person is considered recovered once they are free from fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication), cough, shortness of breath, and diarrhea for 72 hours. If they are not yet recovered, public health staff will call back weekly until the person is recovered. COVID-19 cases without symptoms are considered recovered 10 days after the last positive test. Of the 3,138 surviving COVID-19 cases, 1,406 (44.8%) are considered recovered and 829 (26.4%) are not yet recovered. We are still assessing recovery status for 903 (28.8%) of the COVID-19 cases. The median time to recovery for all cases who had symptoms is 19 days (interquartile range:13–27 days). The median time to recovery for cases who were hospitalized and had symptoms is 23 days (interquartile range: 16–32 days).
OHA seeking volunteers: health care professionals
The Oregon Health Authority is amplifying efforts to recruit health care professionals to join the State Emergency Registry of Volunteers in Oregon (SERV-OR) as Governor Kate Brown advances plans for safely reopening Oregon.
Since March SERV-OR has added more than 800 new volunteers, strengthening OHA’s ability to contain COVID-19 cases and building the capacity of the volunteer program to respond to future emergencies.
Duties of SERV-OR volunteers are as varied as they are vital, from supporting medical casualty triage and behavioral health services to staffing medical shelters and information hotlines. OHA is planning for volunteers to be a critical part of the state's COVID-19 recovery effort by supporting contact tracing, testing, community wellness campaigns, as well as studies of long-term community effects and mass vaccination programs. Those signing up in the coming days will have the opportunity to train and deploy quickly.
If you are a health care professional, please consider registering to volunteer with SERV-OR at SERV-OR.org. SERV-OR volunteers include licensed physicians, nurses, pharmacists, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), behavioral health providers, respiratory therapists and other medical professionals.
 Many in our community need help with food right now, and there are new and expanded resources to help meet these needs. To make it easier to see what resources are available, the Department of Human Services has developed a new website to help connect Oregonians. You will also find downloadable flyers about Oregon’s food resources in 11 languages. Go to needfood.oregon.gov
- Local school meal programs
- Food banks and pantries
- Meals for older community members
- Applications for food assistance programs
Lane County Public Health COVID-19 How testing works video
Oregon Health Authority (with a link to subscribe to their news service)
Oregon Health Plan (open enrollment)
University of Oregon webpage on UO's COVID-19 response
Oregon Office of Emergency Management OEM COVID-19 response
Employment Department: for business: Work Share
Unemployment Insurance Online Claims and new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
Bureau of Labor and Industries Coronavirus and Workplace Laws
Department of Human Services.
Department of Education
Oregon Food Bank's Food Finder
Oregon Coronavirus Information, including Stay Home, Save Lives Executive Order FAQClick to edit this placeholder text.
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