(Shared by Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock.)
To: Public Officials
From: George Murdock
Subject: Weekly Public Officials Update – Providing Information, Advocacy and Commentary
Date: May 18, 2021 – Volume 56
Total Cases – 8,235
Deaths – 84
Recent Counts:
Week 1 – 333
Week 2 – 237
Week 3 – 155
Week 4 – 96
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Week 23 – 435 – (including 170 at EOCI & TRCI)
Week 24 – 466 (including 198 at EOCI & TRCI
Week 25 – 456 (including 154 at EOCI & TRCI)
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Week 33 – 59 (including 4 from the Department of Corrections
Week 34 – 43 (including 3 from the Department of Corrections)
Week 35 — 27
Week 36 – 33
Week 37 – 54
Week 38 – 60 (including 1 from the Department of Corrections)
Week 39 – 60
Week 40 – 52 (including one from DOC)
Week 41 – 98 (including one at DOC)
Medical Report
We had 98 reported cases last week which is the highest we have experienced in several months. Our tracing continues to reveal the fact most of the new cases are among individuals who aren’t vaccinated.
The good news is that all of our clinic appointments for the week are filled – mainly with young people who are newly-eligible for the shots. While we have no formal survey, what I’m hearing from young people is that they are deciding to get the shots to hedge their bets as they hear rumors about being able to move more freely and attend more events if they have the shot. Those involved in school sports anticipate playing in the fall without masks if they have had the shot. They also know it takes six weeks with most shots to get to the other side and they don’t want to be caught off guard. Hopefully more adults will join them as a path to limited mask rules.
There are still plenty of outlets all over the county where shots are being given. Bottom Line and in the end: Normal? The choice is yours.
In her press conference last week the Governor indicated she is optimistic Oregon can see a dramatic reduction in limitations by late May or June. She indicated several counties have already met state standards in terms of vaccinations per capita while others are close. She still wants at least 70 percent to have at least one dose. Some accommodations could be developed if a county is very close and develops a special plan. Both Benton and Hood River are now there and others are not far behind.
By limitations we mean county risk levels. In getting there counties will need to share their goals and plans. Right now 1.5 people in Oregon are fully vaccinated and two million have had a least one shot. Umatilla County is currently nowhere near the necessary level. However, as we accelerate our efforts to increase our chances, we are also actively pursuing ways of getting accurate numbers of vaccinations from such sources as the Tribes, the VA, the prisons, other counties, and other states. We firmly believe these numbers will be in the thousands which for a county of our size will make a difference. Senator Hansell and Rep. Levy are assisting us in getting the necessary data.
We are well aware from contacts made by Umatilla County residents that many of them got their shots in Washington because of proximity and availability of vaccine. We have heard the same thing from residents who winter in places like Arizona and California.
Masks
Message from Governor Brown
“Last week, the CDC issued new guidance for lifting mask and social distancing requirements for fully-vaccinated individuals. It is yet another sign that, if we all continue to do our part, the pandemic is coming closer to an end.
Starting today, Oregon will be following this guidance, which only applies to fully-vaccinated individuals. That means Oregonians who are fully-vaccinated no longer need to wear masks or social distance in most public spaces.
The CDC has outlined a few exceptions, such as public transportation, hospitals and health care clinics, correctional facilities, and long-term care facilities. Oregon will continue to require individuals to remain masked and distanced in these circumstances. Immuno-compromised people should continue to follow the recommendations of their health care provider when it comes to personal protective measures. Nothing is changing for schools this school year, and I expect education staff and students to continue to wear masks and physically distance, as outlined in our Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance.
In the coming days, the Oregon Health Authority will be providing updated guidance for businesses, employers, and others to allow the option of lifting mask and physical distancing requirements after verifying vaccination status. Some businesses may prefer to simply continue operating under the current guidance for now, rather than worrying about verifying vaccination status, and that’s fine.
Oregonians now have a choice of how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19: either get vaccinated, or continue wearing a mask and following physical distancing requirements.
The new CDC guidance makes clear that vaccines are the best tool to protect yourself, and everyone around you. Vaccines are also the fastest way to get back to doing the things we all love, and to returning to a sense of normalcy.
If you’re already vaccinated, thank you. I encourage you to help a friend or loved one make their appointment. If you have questions about vaccines, that’s totally normal. Call your health care provider to get your questions answered, or visit covidvaccine.oregon.gov for great resources”.
Events
Governor Brown was asked specifically about the likelihood of a Pendleton Round-Up and was quick to both point out it is one of her favorite events and that she anticipates it will happen, maybe with some guidelines, but hopefully ones that make it feasible for the Board to make it happen.
This was immediately interpreted as the green light. It was an optimistic message but comes without any official documentation.
Again, that assumes a higher percentage of residents will get shots but to date, our county numbers have been very disappointing and well below expectations. In addition, what we have heard is hope, not any official rulings from OHA, OHSA, or a declaration from the Governor’s Office making it so.
$20 million
Umatilla County is very unhappy about the distribution of the $20 million provided to offset losses in the fifteen counties that were thrust back into extreme risk when the hospitalization rate was exceeded.
We are supposing that at the time it was assumed the counties would be impacted over a period of weeks. In the end, it was less than a week. So, as a result, as we have noted, some of those counties are getting hundreds of thousands of dollars while others are getting millions.
Umatilla County, which was in lockdown mode longer than all but one county over the course of the last fourteen months isn’t getting a dime. Commissioner Shafer wrote a letter of protest in hopes of some measure of fairness. During a press conference last week, Bryce Dole from the East Oregonian asked several direct questions about the issue but we are not getting satisfactory answers.
According to Commissioner Shafer, Josephine County, which is about our size, got over $700,000. Ironically, this particular week was one of the few times in the last year when our county wasn’t in the doghouse and it cost us plenty.
Restaurants
Some of those most unhappy about the $20 million issue are restaurants. Courtney Crowell from the Governor’s Office provided me this information:
Here’s a link in the newsletter below about restaurant revitalization fund and here’s the direct link.
Also, the Blue Mountain SBDC can be a huge resource for businesses with this funding. Want me to connect Eric at the SBDC with the commissioners to make sure they are helping all the restaurants in the county?
In addition, the latest report from industry officials indicates 1,000 restaurants in Oregon have already closed their doors.
Ground-Breaking
Commissioners Shafer and Dorran were on hand for the ground-breaking ceremony at the East Irrigation District on the banks of the Columbia. The ceremony was held at their pump station off Highway 730.
Rep. Bobby Levy was on hand to greet a crowd estimated at about 50 people. The project provides irrigation water as far as eight miles to the south and opens up areas that previously would not have had access to water.
Farm members are St. Hilaire Brothers (Carl St. Hilaire), Agri-Northwest (Mike Bergstom and Luke Maynard), Cold Springs Canyon (Paul Bracher, Greg Juul, and Mike Hawman), Rupp Ranches (Randy Rupp), Windblown Ranch (Art Prior), Golden Valley East (Darren Ditchen and Dean Hammond, and Windy River (Bob and Bill Levy). The ceremony happened on a 76-degree day along the Columbia.
That being said, last weekend my wife and I were invited to Ukiah to help celebrate the ground-breaking ceremony for the new home of the Camas Prairie Cowboy Convention Rodeo and Event Center. It wasn’t anywhere near 76 degrees but it was equally well-attended.
This project amounts to the replacement of a historical arena and creation of a park area designed to bring many events to Ukiah. Other than a small city park, there are too few facilities or infrastructure that attract events to that community although during hunting season it sometimes partially resembles the bustling community it once was in the days when there was a mill in town and lots of logging operations.
Land has already been donated by the Karl Jensen Family just north of the city limits on a scenic (and windswept rise) with a wonderful view of the valley.
The first major event at the old grounds in Ukiah was held in 1921 and for many years the rodeo was a popular tradition. The goal is to unveil the new grounds on the 101st anniversary in 2022. This development would be huge for the Ukiah community which is sometimes overlooked as part of Umatilla County due to its remote location. (See historical attachment)
Scholarship Winners
This year’s winners of the Don Petersen Memorial Scholarship Award are Kyndra Nelson from Pendleton High School and Dakota Sams who is graduating from Nixyaawii. The scholarships, which amount to $2,000 each, are provided from a special fund administered by the County honoring Petersen, a long-time educational leader. The Intermountain ESD handles the logistic
Emerging From COVID
We are by no means out of COVID but we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Part of the economic focus of the emergence is restoring Umatilla County’s robust reputation as a major tourist attraction.
While individual communities are beginning to develop strategies for both welcoming back tourists and expanding the attractions in the area, Commissioner Dorran is working on a marketing scheme of his own designed to expand our brand. One of the first projects is creating a network of signs at every major entrance to the county designed to alert travelers to the fact they are entering a very special place.
Rather than the small green “Entering Umatilla County” signs that are barely noticeable, the new signs will be designed to create a good deal more awareness. Dorran is working with ODOT on the project in order to secure exceptional locations.
Editorial
At the same time employers are begging for workers and government officials are supposedly wringing their hands over the need to spend trillions of dollars to stimulate the economy, they are also taking steps to undermine the ability of employers to put people back to work.
Schools are now back in session, so at least one of the very legitimate reasons for having to vacate a job is now no longer in play. Hopefully when Oregon moves beyond its opening and closing roller coaster in about a month or so, those who are waiting for some certainty in their employment, will also find it makes sense to go back to work.
At last report there are 8.1 million job openings in the nation. And at the same time, Oregon is once again bumping up its jobless benefits. At the federal level, the $300 bonus is being extended until after Labor Day. According to employers, they cannot afford to compete with the government which pays people for not working while they are desperate for employees.
U.S. employers posted a record number of available jobs in March, illustrating starkly the desperation of businesses seeking to find new workers as the economy expands after the pandemic recession. While most experts anticipated a million people would be added to the workforce in April, the number was far less as gains are falling far short of expectations. The projection was a million jobs. The reality was 266,000.
John Deere, one of the companies of interest to an agricultural economy such as ours, reported an $8.1 billion backlog in equipment orders because of workers shortages. That is far from the only product we are finding in short supply.
Several states have opted out of the federal stimulus bumps saying it provides a disincentive for people to seek employment. The number of people with that sentiment is growing since there are now more available jobs than people to fill them for the first time in decades.
