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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Today begins the two-week freeze that Governor Brown instituted statewide in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 and preserve our hospital capacity (and it’s a four-week freeze in Multnomah County).
Here is another rundown of what this means:
Please note that this freeze will be reevaluated on a county-by-county basis as we hit the two-week mark, based on the progress being made against the virus. Multnomah County is in a four-week freeze starting today, meaning it will be evaluated around December 16.
As we enter another phase of our fight against this pandemic, I hope folks are watching what is occurring around the country in this moment. States that previously resisted strong public health measures to stop the spread, such as Iowa, are now reversing course given how dire the situation has become. North Dakota now has the highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the world. Too many have died unnecessarily, and frontline healthcare workers are beyond overwhelmed.
We have to follow the Governor’s freeze so we can have a chance of avoiding the fate currently facing those states. Today, we reached 406 hospitalized COVID-19 patients across Oregon, a new record for the pandemic. As Willamette Week reports here, we were already nearing hospital capacity across the state. One of the biggest problems is not having enough nurses to appropriately staff the cases. You can track our capacity by clicking the image below.
Last week, we recorded a 12.5% test positivity rate, the second week in a row we hit 12% or higher. Remember that our initial goal for reopening schools was to get below 5%. We also recorded 6,491 new COVID-19 cases, a 25.4% increase over the previous week’s record-high (5,177). More data is available here in the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report.
Here are the daily numbers since my last newsletter:
- Saturday, November 14: 1,097 cases, 6 deaths
- Sunday, November 15: 868 cases, 2 deaths
- Monday, November 16: 781 cases, 4 deaths
- Tuesday, November 17: 935 cases, 14 deaths
- Wednesday, November 18: 1,099 cases, 10 deaths
It’s clear we’re not heading in the right direction. So, please work hard to do your part during the freeze. As an ER doctor at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) told KGW here, hospital capacity is not only about COVID-19.
“Someone could come in with a heart attack or a stroke or even COVID and not be able to access an intensive care unit quickly or receive the specialty care that they need.”
Today, the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis released its quarterly revenue forecast. The news overall was positive, as Oregon Public Broadcasting covers here. But, we know the pandemic is disproportionately impacting lower-income workers and making existing income inequality even worse. We have to address this income inequality and protect lower-income workers as we head into the holiday season.
This is why I called on Governor Brown to declare a catastrophic disaster so the legislature can convene a remote special session in December. Among the actions I believe we need to take are extending the statewide eviction moratorium (that is currently expiring on December 31st) and establishing a landlord compensation fund to help small landlords with back payments.
The Legislature will not be in regular session until January 19, 2021, nearly three weeks into the new year. If no action is taken before the end of the year, the result will be catastrophic for tenants, as this op-ed in The Oregonian expressed. Additionally, many small landlords are experiencing significant financial hardship due to lost rental income during the pandemic.
Here is the statement I released this morning:
The COVID-19 pandemic is raging like never before in Oregon. Our economic recovery is fully dependent on getting this virus under control. As the state’s budget situation has stabilized and since Congress is unlikely to pass another relief package this year, I urge the Governor to declare a catastrophic disaster so the legislature can convene a remote special session in December.
We need to utilize some portion of the state’s reserves as soon as possible to help struggling Oregonians and small businesses through the winter months. I am particularly interested in seeing the state spend $100 million to keep Oregonians housed and stabilize the rental market as the pandemic continues into 2021.
The deadline for wildfire survivors to apply for FEMA disaster assistance has been extended until Monday, November 30. Survivors can apply online: DisasterAssistance.gov, via the FEMA app, or by phone at 800-621-3362.
The Individual Assistance Program (IA) is available to people impacted by fires in Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, and Marion counties.
Oregon homeowners and renters who registered for FEMA disaster assistance after the wildfires should stay in touch with FEMA to ensure the disaster assistance process stays on track. Survivors should update contact information as soon as possible as FEMA may need to reach them for additional information or virtual home inspections.
The state is providing no-cost wildfire ash and debris cleanup for all homes and businesses in eight counties affected by the September wildfires, including mobile home parks, second homes, businesses and other structures.
Here are some additional details from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM):
- Home and business owners who opt into this cleanup program pay no upfront costs. Additionally, no government agency – state, federal or contractor - will seek payment from any insurance policy unless it is specifically designated for debris removal or left over after the home or business is completely rebuilt.
- The no-cost cleanup is available to home and business owners in Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn and Marion counties.
- Property owners need to sign a Right of Entry form to allow cleanup crews onto their property. Cleanup crews remove ash and structural debris, hazard trees, concrete foundations, and burned vehicles.
- To submit a Right of Entry form and for more information, visit wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup or call the wildfire debris cleanup hotline: 503-934-1700.
Last week, the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced it has opened approximately 200,000 new customer appointment slots for dates into January and February 2021. Customers are encouraged to schedule appointments using the online tool at DMV2U.oregon.gov, where you can choose an in-person service by location, date, and time.
The news release also included information about the Driver’s License for All bill that the Legislature passed in 2019. The new law goes into effect January 1, 2021. The law will allow Oregon residents who pass written and driving tests, pay the fees, and provide proof of identity and residency to receive a standard driver’s license. It also includes anti-discrimination protections and explicitly states that a standard driver’s license (as opposed to a REAL ID compliant license) is not evidence of the holder’s citizenship or immigration status.
The new law is expected to create an increase in demand for services, so additional driver’s knowledge testing stations are being purchased, including safety barriers between testing stations to allow for more applicants and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- The Oregon Employment Department expects to deliver the much-delayed “waiting week” payments by Thanksgiving, as The Oregonian reports here.
- Governor Brown announced $55 Million in financial aid to support Oregon businesses. The federal funds will flow to county governments, who will then distribute the assistance to applicable businesses. The funding is for businesses who have been financially impacted by the pandemic, with a priority for the hospitality industry, businesses impacted by the freeze, small businesses, and women, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Tribal-owned businesses. You can read her full release about this here.
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The Oregonian reports here that the University of Oregon and Oregon State University are offering free testing to students prior to Thanksgiving.
- The Oregon Department of Justice announced settlements with four local businesses accused of price gouging and scams during the COVID-19 pandemic, Willamette Week reported here. If you have price gouging or scams to report, contact the Oregon Department of Justice's Consumer Hotline, especially if you see merchants charging exorbitant prices for goods and supplies: 1-877-877-9392 or www.oregonconsumer.gov.
- The Oregon Health Authority reported 1,099 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total of new and presumptive cases to 59,669. The OHA also reported 10 more deaths, meaning 788 Oregonians have died of the coronavirus. 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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