|
Greetings!
Most of this newsletter will focus on the serious news about COVID and how to keep our community safe, but I must take a moment to recognize the end of election season. We saw record turnout nationwide and in Oregon—well over 80% of Oregon voters turned in a ballot.
I’m so proud that Oregon has led the way on policies that make voting easy, fair, and secure, including paid postage ballots and automatic voter registration. We have been looked to as a model of how to run vote-by-mail elections. I’m grateful to the leaders and candidates on both side of the aisle who have reinforced trust in our system and continued to respect the will of the voters, even if they didn’t like the election results. But most of all, I’m grateful to all who turned in a ballot—you are part of what makes this system work!
Gresham will welcome Representative-elect Ricki Ruiz into office in mid-January 2021. In the meantime, I’ll continue advocating for this community as we respond to the COVID crisis and look ahead to a potential special session in December. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have thoughts or concerns.
The last few weeks have featured some extremely concerning news on the COVID front. We saw over 1,000 cases reported in a single day last Thursday, a record for Oregon—and we then saw over 1,000 cases on both Friday and Saturday, too. Many of these cases are “sporadic,” meaning that we don’t know where the person caught the virus and it's harder effectively prevent further spread. We’re also seeing higher test positivity rates, so this is not just an indication that we are doing more testing.
In response to this spike in cases, Governor Brown announced additional temporary restrictions statewide, a “freeze” that includes limiting social interactions, crowds, some businesses, and visits to long-term care facilities. The new restrictions go into effect on Wednesday, November 18. While many areas of the state will be in this freeze for two weeks before reevaluating, Multnomah County is expected to remain for at least four.
While many aspects of the freeze are similar to the “Stay Home, Save Lives” order, there are some changes to reflect what we have learned about how the virus spreads. I have outlined the restrictions below, but the takeaway is simple: Multnomah County residents should expect to STAY HOME until December 16. Our per capital case rate is higher than that of any other West Coast county with a major city, and our hospitals are already starting to limit non-urgent medical procedures due to the influx of patients they expect.
The new restrictions include:
- Limiting social get-togethers (indoors and outdoors) to no more than six people, total, from no more than two households.
- Limiting faith-based organizations to a maximum of 25 people indoors or 50 people outdoors.
- Limiting eating and drinking establishments to take-out and delivery only.
- Requiring all businesses to mandate work-from-home to the greatest extent possible and close offices to the public.
- Prohibiting indoor visiting in long-term care facilities.
- Closing gyms and fitness organizations.
- Closing indoor and outdoor venues, indoor recreational facilities, museums, indoor entertainment activities, zoos, gardens, aquariums, outdoor entertainment activities, and pools.
- Limiting grocery stores and pharmacies to a maximum of 75% capacity and encouraging curbside pickup.
- Limiting retail stores and retail malls to a maximum of 75% capacity and encouraging curbside pickup.
- The freeze does not change current health and safety protocols for personal services (such as barber shops, hair salons, and non-medical massage therapy), congregate homeless sheltering, outdoor recreation and sports, youth programs, childcare, K-12 schools and higher education, and sports.
Also last week, the Oregon joined with California and Washington to announce new guidelines urging people to avoid interstate travel, and if you must travel, to self-quarantine for at least 14 days after arriving at your destination.
Obviously, these restrictions may be putting a dent in the Thanksgiving plans you made or the family gathering you were hoping for. I don’t want to minimize how hard that is for all of us, because being able to spend time with family and friends is essential. But your family’s safety—and your community’s safety—depend on you making smart choices and speaking up about potential exposure risk. It’s essential that you change your plans and find alternative ways of making this a celebration. Here is an article with some ideas about how to make this year special for kids, and here are some more ideas for bringing your loved ones together from a distance.
Compared to many other areas of the country, Oregon has been relatively successful at controlling COVID so far. Our state and local leaders acted quickly, and people across the state have taken simple measures like wearing masks and limiting close interactions with people. It’s no surprise to me that Oregonians have successfully banded together to protect our friends, neighbors and community.
But that early success doesn’t mean that this threat will remain in the future. With the holiday season approaching and widespread, effective vaccination still far in the future, now is the time to get things under control. If things continue trending in this direction, we could see further loss of life in our communities, and further restrictions stretching into the winter. As hard as it seems, acting now will avert further harm.
With the temporary freeze about to go into effect, many Oregonians may be applying or re-applying for unemployment benefits. Remember, help is available for many people who have been temporarily or permanently laid off, or who have lost hours or income. You can go to https://unemployment.oregon.gov/ for more information about what you might be eligible for and how to apply.
If you already had an unemployment claim active, but had gone back to work between then and now, you may need to restart your claim. You can do that in the online claims system by clicking the “Restart Your Claim” button, or by filling out the “Contact Us” form if you have trouble. This FAQ has more information, and as always, you can contact my office for assistance.
There are also other resources out there if you are struggling with expenses.People are often eligible for more than they think, so don’t hesitate to reach out for help or call 2-1-1.
-
Getting food on the table: SNAP will take it into account if you have been laid off or lost hours recently when they calculate your benefit. You can apply online and there is more information about SNAP and other assistance here:
-
Eviction moratorium: The Multnomah County eviction moratorium is still in effect. If you are a tenant in Multnomah County, you cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent or fees. More information here. Call 2-1-1 for information about rent assistance for people struggling as a result of COVID.
-
Foreclosure moratorium: The statewide foreclosure moratorium is still in effect. If you own your home and are struggling to make payments due to COVID-19, you are protected from foreclosure until the end of the year. More information here (this document is a little out of date—the moratorium has been extended through the end of the year). Find more information about help with mortgage payments here.
-
Business assistance: Business Oregon continues to maintain this resource about sources of assistance for businesses of all sizes.
-
211 Info (call 2-1-1 or https://www.211info.org/) has assistance and information about rent, health care, utilities, and many other resources.
In addition, you can call Multnomah County's free mental health crisis line 24/7 at 503-988-4888 or 800-716-9769. Remember: this time of year is difficult for many of us, and the stresses of this time are enormous. There is help out there, and you are not alone.
Please stay safe and continue caring for our community. Together, we will get through this.
Sincerely,
 Carla C. Piluso
State Representative, House District 50
email: Rep.CarlaPiluso@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1450
address: 900 Court St NE, H-491, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/piluso
| 
