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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Happy Thanksgiving! This is a time to count our blessings! I am thankful for all of the Frontline Workers providing our community with Health Care, Fire and Safety Protection. Thank you to everyone who is going to work every day during the pandemic and continuing to take on challenges at home and at work. I am also thankful for my family and for my community which always pulls together in times of need like we are experiencing now.
Though it will be hard not to see all my kids in person tomorrow, I am glad I’ll be able to have a small dinner in the carport with just four of us and as many heaters and blankets as we can find! My sons will be celebrating in their own homes, and I will look forward to seeing my whole family together again next year! It is important to remember that our families and communities are why we are sacrificing now, I want all of them to be around to celebrate with next year, so I need to keep my distance now.
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As you all know, the entire state is in the midst of a “freeze” with increased limits on social engagement and business activity. This freeze was meant to help us bring our trend of rapidly increasing cases to a halt, and the more we comply with the restrictions, and wear our masks the more effective it will be. This freeze was never meant to be long term, and some of the restrictions imposed were not sustainable long term, so Governor Brown has been working with health experts to develop a new plan to help us live with the virus as safely as possible until vaccines and better treatment are widely available and adopted. These new measures are designed to respond to the needs and case levels of each county, and to be more clear for businesses, individuals and local governments. The new metrics and corresponding requirements will go into effect at the end of the freeze on December 3rd. You can watch the Governor’s press conference on these measures here (ASL and closed captioning provided), and learn more about the metrics and requirements here.
Counties will be evaluated every 2 weeks to determine their risk level, with updates on case and test positivity released every week. Counties will fall into 4 different risk levels: Extreme, High, Moderate, and Low. Risk levels will come with different requirements for business operation and social gathering. At this point, 21 counties, including the entire Metro Area and Willamette Valley fall under the “Extreme Risk” level.
In counties with extreme risk, the following activities will be allowed, with health and safety protocols in place:
- Social and at-home gatherings with people from outside your household will be limited to a maximum of six people, with a recommended limit of two households.
- Restaurants, bars, and other eating and drinking establishments will be limited to a maximum of 50 people for outdoor dining only, with only six people per table. Take-out is strongly encouraged.
- Indoor recreation, fitness, and entertainment establishments, including gyms, will remain closed, however, outdoor recreation, fitness, and entertainment activities, including outdoor gym activities, will be allowed, with a maximum limit of 50 people outdoors.
- Retail stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, and indoor and outdoor shopping centers and malls will be limited to a maximum of 50% of capacity, with curbside pick-up encouraged.
- Faith institutions, funeral homes, mortuaries, and cemeteries will be limited to a maximum of 25% of capacity or 100 people indoors (whichever is smaller), or 150 people outdoors.
- Office workplaces will be required to utilize remote work to the maximum extent possible, with public-facing offices closed to the public.
- Personal services businesses will be allowed to continue to operate with health and safety measures in place.
- Long-term care facilities can allow limited outdoor visitation, following established health and safety protocols.
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Map showing the risk levels for each county as of 11/25, 21 counties are categorized as Extreme Risk
Case and positivity rate metrics determining the risk levels of counties
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I-5 Bridge Meeting: Yesterday, The Bi-State Committee on the Interstate 5 Bridge met and had some robust discussion and public engagement. You can review materials from the committee, and watch the full proceedings here. Our agenda included review of:
- An update from the Program Administrator on recent and upcoming program activities,
- A Draft Community Engagement Plan.
- A Draft Conceptual Program Finance Plan including potential funding sources.
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Housing Committee: On Monday, the House Committee on Housing to review proposals for amending the statewide eviction moratorium to better meet the needs of both tenants and landlords. The proposal would create some new requirements for tenants, including requiring sworn statements that they have experienced financial hardship affecting their ability to pay rent. The proposal also created a new landlord based assistance program, to help reduce rent debt owed to landlords. The program will allow for reimbursement of up to 80% of rent owed by tenants with sworn statements of financial hardship. You can watch the full committee proceedings and view materials here.
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Updated Guidance:
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Health Insurance Open Enrollment: Many Oregonians who are uninsured may qualify for the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or for help paying for coverage through the Marketplace. Oregon’s Marketplace open enrollment runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 and is the only time of year many people can buy private health insurance.
- Want help? Experts are available to offer free assistance remotely and in person by appointment following COVID-19 safety protocols. Find local help on OregonHealthCare.gov. Remember, you must apply and enroll by Dec. 15 to get coverage for 2021 through the Marketplace.
- You can apply for the Oregon Health Plan at OHP.Oregon.gov at any time. To find out what coverage and savings are available to you, visit OregonHealthCare.gov/WindowShop.
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Local Holiday Shopping and Activities:
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Zoo Lights-Drive Through: For the health and safety of zoo lovers, Zoo Lights will be 100% drive through this winter. ZooLights runs from Nov. 22, 2020 to Jan. 10, 2021, with the exception of Dec. 25.
- Tickets are available 7 days in advance.
- Pricing varies depending on the date ($40 - 65 per car)
- Learn more and purchase tickets here.
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Shop. Eat. Spend. Enjoy. LOCAL. The Hillsboro Chamber invites you to check out their first-ever Hillsboro Chamber Holiday Guide (best viewed in full screen mode). Learn more about the Hillsboro Chamber and how we help our community by visiting hillsborochamberor.com.
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Opportunity to Give and Give Back: Here’s an opportunity to give and benefit our business community. Business/nonprofit partnerships are essential to meeting the needs of our community. The Forest Grove Foundation and Forest Grove / Cornelius Chamber of Commerce share an address and an aspiration to give back. The Chamber has created an opportunity to receive and give toward our respective endeavors.
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Forest Grove Chamber Auction: This auction will benefit the chamber, and provide an opportunity to do some christmas shopping to support the local economy
- The Forest Grove Foundation and Forest Grove Chamber are also asking the community to purchase gift cards from local restaurants to donate to the Oregon Food Bank. Mail or drop off your gift card to the Forest Grove Foundation, care of the Forest Grove Chamber.
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Poster-Local Restaurant Gift Cards for the Oregon Food Bank
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National Numbers:
- Confirmed Cases: 12,498,734 (up 165,282 from yesterday)
- Cases in the last 7 days: 1,198,100
- Deaths: 259,005 (up 1,989 from yesterday)
- These national numbers come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can view their national and state by state data here.
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Oregon Status Report: Oregon now has 68,503 total cases (confirmed and presumptive) of COVID-19.
- Today we have 1,189 new confirmed and presumptive cases, and 20 new deaths.
- Tuesday: 1,011 cases, 21 deaths, 183 cases in Washington County
- Monday: 1,174 cases, 6 deaths, 225 cases in Washington County
- Sunday: 1,517 cases, 1 death, 128 cases in Washington County
- Saturday: 1,509 cases, 7 deaths, 223 cases in Washington County
- A total of 867 Oregonians have died from COVID-19.
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Washington County still has one of the highest case counts at 9,401 confirmed cases, including 180 new cases today. You can review on-going updates from OHA by clicking on the table below.
- The Oregon Health Authority recently provided a Public Health Indicators Dashboard to enable communities across Oregon to monitor COVID-19 in the state.The dashboard, which will be updated weekly on Thursdays, provides a transparent report that presents complex epidemiological data in an interactive, easy-to-understand way on a state and county level.
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Table showing Oregon case, testing and demographic data, link to more information
OEM has put together this list of contacts to help speed up the process of replacing these documents:
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Green cards: Phone (800)-375-5283; Website: www.uscis.gov
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Medicare cards: Phone: (800)-772-1213; (TTY) (800)-325-0778 Website: www.medicare.gov
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Military records Phone: 866-272-6272 Website: www.archives.gov/contact/
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Passport Phone: 877-487-2778; (TTY) 888-874-7793 Website: travel.state.gov
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Social Security card Phone: 800-772-1213; (TTY) 800-325-0778 Website: www.ssa.gov
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U.S. Savings Bonds Phone: 844-284-2676 Website: www.treasurydirect.gov
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U.S. tax returns Phone: 800-829-1040 Website: www.irs.gov
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Birth, death, marriage, domestic partnership, divorce certificates Phone: 888-896-4988 Website: www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/Birthdeathcertificates
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Driver’s license, auto titles and registration, ID cards Phone: 503-945-5000 Website: www.oregon.gov/odot
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SNAP (Oregon Trail Card) Website: www.oregon.gov/DHS/Assistance/Food-Benefits
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State taxes (Oregon Dept. of Revenue) Phone: 503-378-4988 or 800-356-4222 TTY: All relay calls are accepted. Website: www.oregon.gov/dor
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Real estate and property - Contact your county government.
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Credit cards - Contact your credit card company directly.
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Credit reports from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion Phone: 877-322-8228 Website: www.annualcreditreport.com
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Insurance documents - Check with your insurance agent.
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Medical records - Call your doctor or your medical insurance company; medical and prescription records are tracked electronically.
The Governor’s office has put together a Wildfire Resources page that you can access from the Governor’s home page. It has links to many of the most important updates about the status of fires and resources for evacuees. This website will be updated regularly.
Legal Resources: Oregon State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Program, Oregon lawyers, through the Oregon State Bar, are partnering with FEMA and the American Red Cross to provide legal assistance on FEMA claims, contract claims, insurance claims, landlord-tenant matters and more.
The Department of Forestry’s Wildfire Response and Recovery Overview has ongoing updates about firefighting efforts, damage reports, and more.
FEMA Updates: FEMA has provided several different Fact Sheets and resources for accessing benefits, determining eligibility and avoiding scams.
Employers and Employees
Education Links
Local Government
Utilities Assistance
Food and Housing Assistance
View Past Updates, Share and Subscribe:
If there was COVID-related information in a past newsletter that you want to go back to, but find you’ve deleted it, you can always go to my legislative website (http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain), click on “News and Information,” and you’ll find them all there. You can also share this site with your friends and loved ones, so they can view past newsletters, and subscribe to future updates.
Yours truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
House District 29
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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