Statewide "Freeze" Now in Effect

Representative Andrea Salinas

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve all made incredible sacrifices to slow the spread of the coronavirus, keep each other safe, and ultimately save lives. Early in the pandemic, we would step outside of our homes and collectively clap to thank our health care workers for serving our community. Months have passed, and the pressures on the health care workforce have only increased. As a state and a nation, we now find ourselves in the most precarious moment of the pandemic yet. Coronavirus cases are skyrocketing, hospitals and critical care units in the Metro area are dangerously close to capacity, and demand for additional hospital staff cannot be met. Health officials are fearful that if this dangerous rise in cases continues, patients will die because hospitals will not have the capacity to treat COVID and non-COVID patients needing hospital level care. Health care workers need us to demonstrate our gratitude for their sacrifices in more ways than just applause. They need us to listen to their calls for help and to follow the scientific guidance to stay home in order to save lives.

Recent modeling from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) shows that if Oregonians collectively wear masks, keep physical distance, restrict social gatherings, and wash their hands diligently, cases will remain historically high for a short time and then begin to decrease. We can reverse the trend of increasing cases, but we must adhere to proven measures immediately. An article published in The Atlantic last week put it plainly: “The choices made in the coming weeks will influence how many Americans die before they have a chance to receive it (the vaccine), and how many health-care workers are broken in the process.”

So please, heed the advice of health care workers, and wear a mask, keep physical distance, wash your hands, and for the next two weeks, stay home. Let’s treat our frontline health care workers like the heroes they are!

In this newsletter, I share the latest COVID-19 updates and new Employment Department information. 

As always, please contact my office if you have any questions or need assistance. 

Sincerely,

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Andrea Salinas, State Representative


Two-Week Freeze

In response to the record coronavirus case numbers that I mentioned earlier, Governor Brown announced that the state will be under a two-week freeze. This freeze began yesterday, November 18, and continues until at least Wednesday, December 2. 

At that point, state and health officials will reevaluate whether the measures need to remain in effect, but counties that are COVID-19 hotspots can expect to stay in the freeze for longer than the two-week period. Multnomah County will be under the freeze for at least four weeks.

The following measures are now in effect: 

Businesses and Activities Open and Closed During the 2 Week Freeze

Graphic that shows what will be affected by the new measures. Click the image for a link to the Governor's COVID-19 Website where the guidance is avaialble in text form.

 

OHA continues to point to social gatherings as a key factor behind the current surge of coronavirus cases. A recent article in the LA Times shows how quickly a social gathering can turn into a super spreader event. This serves as an important reminder that our actions don’t just affect us, but can be dangerous to vulnerable people in the community as well. So please follow the guidance and limit social interactions as much as possible. 

For more information on the two-week freeze, you can read the Governor’s press release here

COVID-19 Temporary Paid Leave Program

It is important to stay home from work if you are feeling sick in order to protect other employees and prevent workplace outbreaks. That said, I know it can be difficult to take time away when so many Oregonians rely on the economic security their job provides. 

The COVID-19 Temporary Paid Leave Program is available to help people who need to quarantine or isolate because of COVID-19 exposure, or are experiencing symptoms and need a medical diagnosis, but do not qualify for COVID-19-related paid sick leave (or do not have access to COVID-19-related paid time off). If you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you will get a $120 per-day payment, up to 10 working days ($1,200 total) for the time you need to quarantine or isolate.

You can take the quiz to see if you’re eligible here.

COVID-19 Testing 

OHA’s website has a feature you can use to find nearby COVID-19 testing locations. Here is a link to that resource. On the same page, you can find a FAQ with testing information, steps to take if you test positive, information about costs, and more. 

You can also call 2-1-1, and a phone operator will help you connect with testing resources. 

Here are some important things to keep in mind:

  • If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, please contact your healthcare provider or telehealth program to discuss whether you should be evaluated for testing.
  • Each coronavirus test provider will determine if testing is appropriate based on your symptoms, risk factors, and test availability.

Due to an increase in demand, wait times may be longer than usual for tests and results.

Thanksgiving

I know that many of us were looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with friends and family. I personally was hoping to host my family from out-of-state, but with small social gatherings driving record COVID-19 transmission, we listened to the advice of health officials and reconsidered our holiday plans. Instead, we will chat over Zoom, which isn’t the same, but we know these precautions will make it so we can celebrate many more holidays together in the years to come. 

As we rethink our holiday plans this year, it gives us the opportunity to create new traditions. One idea is to join Meals on Wheels and call homebound seniors on Thanksgiving Day. So many of us are looking for connection during the holidays, especially this year, and this is a great way to socialize and connect with our neighbors and community members. Meals on Wheels is looking for over 500 volunteers. You can find more information and sign-up to make calls here.

Oregon Employment Department (OED) Update 

First Time Applicants 

Due to the two-week freeze, many Oregonians will be applying for unemployment insurance for the first time. The OED website has a page that tells you the documents you will need to file a claim, how to file for regular unemployment insurance (UI) or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), how to submit weekly claims, and step-by-step guides that will take you through the process. You can find that here

Restarting Your Claim

OED stops your claim if you skip a week of filing your weekly claim, earn your weekly benefit amount or more, work full-time, or report no earnings after a week that you reported earnings. Due to the two-week freeze, some Oregonians who previously had an unemployment claim will need to file for benefits again. 

If you fall into this category, you will need to restart your stopped claim. You can do this by visiting OED’s Online Claim System here and selecting option #8: Restart Your Claim.

If you are unable to restart your claim on OED’s online system, you can request assistance by selecting the Restarting my claim option on the Contact Us Form. An OED staff member will reach out to you directly in a week to ten days after you submit the form. 

For more information on restarting your claim, OED has an FAQ page on their website, which you can find here

Bank Account Freezes

There have been reports that some financial institutions have locked Oregonians out of their bank accounts after OED deposits benefits. Some banks have account security measures to protect customers against fraud that will lock the account if suspicious activity is detected. 

OED is unable to bypass a bank's security procedures and recommends that you contact your bank and follow their advice for unlocking your account. If you still need OED’s assistance, you can use the Contact Us form, select “My weekly payment or missing payment,” and explain the situation in the comment box.

Leadership Elections

On Monday, House Democrats elected their leadership team for the 2021 legislative session. I am honored that my colleagues selected me to be the House Majority Whip. I look forward to working with them to tackle the significant challenges facing Oregon families, workers and businesses. 


email: Rep.AndreaSalinas@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1438
address: 900 Court St NE, H-485, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/salinas