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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
A hard week is ending on a positive note:
The weather improved and brought much-needed rain to provide some relief to parts of the state. And the Oregon Health Authority reported zero new deaths from COVID-19 for the second day in a row - the first time this has happened in nearly three months.
Of course, we have a long way to go to get past our challenges. There is a massive amount of work ahead to rebuild communities impacted by the fires throughout Oregon. And, this week, we crossed 30,000 confirmed cases and 500 confirmed deaths from COVID-19.
We all must continue to be on high alert in the coming days in case fire conditions change. We also must continue to do the three W’s - wash our hands, wear our masks, and watch our distance in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
If you’re considering a donation to help those in need, you might want to read through this guidance from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum about how to avoid a charity scam (the full alert can be found here):
- Do your research.
- Only give to registered charities.
- Monetary donations are usually preferred.
- Be wary of telephone, email or door to door solicitations.
- Remember that not all gifts are tax-deductible.
For small businesses to recover, they need to have access to the protective equipment necessary to keep employees and customers safe. The Legislative Emergency Board allocated $10 Million from the federal CARES Act funding for the purchase of PPE supplies, including masks and gloves. The state is now taking orders and will fill them at no charge until resources are depleted. Go here to apply.
Earlier this week, the Oregon Health Authority released its COVID-19 Weekly Report, which you can read in full here. While it’s encouraging to see that no new deaths have been reported since Wednesday, there are a couple of concerning trends, which The Oregonian notes in its coverage of the report here. Here are some key takeaways:
- From Monday, September 7, through Sunday, September 13, OHA recorded 1,294 new cases of COVID-19 infection—down 12% from last week’s tally of 1,477.
- The number of Oregonians newly tested declined 35%, to 17,365, and the percentage of tests that were positive rose from 4.3% to 5.6%. This decline in the number of Oregonians tested occurred during the context of numerous active wildfires.
- There were 29 Oregonians reported to have died in association with COVID-19, compared to 23 last week.
- There were 83 Oregonians hospitalized; with 47 in the previous week, the reported number of Oregonians hospitalized with COVID-19 is the lowest for any two-week period since mid-June.
- The age group with the highest incidence of reported infections continues to be 20–29-year-olds.
- Persons under 30 years old have accounted for 37% of reported cases but only 9% of hospitalizations and 0.6% of deaths.
- Reported COVID-19 case rates decrease in subsequent decades of life, but hospitalization and death rates increase with age.
About a month from now, ballots will start to go out for the November 3rd election day. Too many Oregonians have been displaced by the wildfires that have swept the state, so Oregon’s Secretary of State has been sharing this Q&A to help people understand how they can get their ballots and still vote.
How can I receive my ballot if I have been displaced by wildfires?
- Ballots will begin being mailed October 14th. If you know an address where you will be able to receive mail then, you can add a temporary mailing address at oregonvotes.gov/myvote.
- If you want to use a paper form to provide us with a temporary address Download the Absentee Ballot Request Form here.
- You can pick up all of your mail (including ballots once they are mailed) at the post office that serves your permanent residence address.
- Contact your county election office after October 1st for additional options they may have for pickup. Find yours here: https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Pages/countyofficials.aspx
If I submit a change of address through the post office, will my ballot be forwarded to the new address?
NO. Ballots are not forwardable. It is one of the security features of our system. You must inform election officials of your temporary address using one of the methods above in order to have your ballot sent there.
Do I need to register to vote from my temporary address?
NO. You do not need to re-register to vote if you are living somewhere temporarily because you have been displaced by wildfires. You just need to let election officials know where to mail your ballot by one of the methods above.
Will I be able to vote on the local measures where my permanent address is located even if I am temporarily living outside that area?
YES. The ballot you receive will contain the contests for your residential address, not your temporary mailing address.
What if my mailbox was destroyed?
If mail cannot be delivered to your home or mailbox, it will be held at your local post office and you can pick it up there.
- After being rescheduled due to the wildfires, the nine-day closure of the northbound lanes of the I-5 Interstate Bridge will start at midnight tonight and go through Sunday, September 27. The Oregon Department of Transportation has more information here.
- The City of Portland has expanded renter protections to cover relocation costs in certain instances during the pandemic. Oregon Public Broadcasting has more details here.
- The Oregon Health Authority is starting a pilot program with contact tracing technology that could inform Oregonians of COVID-19 exposure through their cell phones. The Oregonian has more information here.
- Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health division (OSHA) has fined two businesses for failing to require physical distancing and failing to ensure that customers and employees wear masks, as The Oregonian reports here.
- The Oregon Health Authority reported 295 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total of new and presumptive cases to 30,342. No more deaths have been announced, meaning there have still been 521 Oregonians to die of the coronavirus. On Thursday, the OHA announced 215 new cases and no new deaths. You can click the images below for links to interactive data tables about coronavirus in Oregon.
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.
Best,
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
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