By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
Unsettled by a large outbreak in Lincoln County COVID-19 cases, county commissioners have again decided against asking the state to enter Phase 2 of Oregon’s reopening plan.
Monday’s decision came quickly and with no debate after the announcement Sunday of a 127-case outbreak among workers at Pacific Seafood in Newport.
It followed a decision last Friday to hold off a decision until this week because the number of cases had tripled – from 10 to 33 – between May 21-28.
On Monday that seemed eons rather than days ago.
“We need to stay where we’re at,” said commission chair Kaety Jacobson. Commissioners Doug Hunt and Claire Hall agreed.
Twenty-nine of Oregon’s 36 counties have been approved to go into Phase 2 of the state’s three-stage reopening plan that has shut down or restricted businesses since mid-March.
But Lincoln County is one of a handful – along with Marion, Polk, Hood River, Clackamas and Washington counties – that has not applied. Multnomah County was scheduled to enter Phase 1 on Friday.
But that and all other movement to Phase 1 or Phase 2 were put on hold Thursday evening when Gov. Kate Brown said she was pausing for seven days any movement because of a large increase in the number of COVID-19 cases this week.
Lincoln County initially did not apply because officials felt it could not meet two of four new Phase 2 guidelines for rates of COVID-19 cases or tracing. It learned last week that the state wasn’t necessarily counting the guidelines individually, but as a whole.
Gov. Kate Brown’s Phase 2 guidelines allow a limited return to office work and an easing of travel restrictions. In addition, gatherings can increase to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors, but with churches and other organizations allowed as many as 250 people based on the occupancy limits of their buildings, the ability to socially distance attendees, and sanitization protocols.
Bowling alleys, pools and arcades can reopen with physical distancing. Non-contact youth sports can begin with restrictions on sharing equipment.
Restrictions would ease on bars and restaurants, allowing them to stay open until midnight and increase their table space with outdoor seating.
The outbreak at Pacific Seafood has unnerved some restaurants in Newport, some closing temporarily Monday until they learned more about its spread and to protect employees and customers. Those included Clearwater, Rogue Ale’s pubs, Local Ocean, Mo’s, Sorella, Nana’s Irish Pub, Pacific Kitchen at Nye Beach and Georgie’s. In Yachats, Ona restaurant closed as well.
Local Ocean and Nana’s said they were having employees tested as a precaution.
“This weekend’s community outbreak came at us so fast,” Local Ocean owner Laura Anderson said in a Facebook message announcing its closure. “It was a game changer for us and Newport as a whole. My heart goes out to each person touched by this outbreak. We have sent all 52 of our employees for testing. We have no known cases of Covid at this time. I’d love to see it that way. But the truth is that this virus is hard to see, our behaviors are hard to track, and even though I personally believe that my risk is low, and the risk to my staff and guests are low – we all care about the next person down the line.”
No change in motel regulations
Commissioners also decided against ending a county regulation requiring that rooms sit vacant for 24 hours before cleaning staff could enter or other guests could rent.
Commissioners were under heavy pressure from the lodging industry and various motel owners to end the regulation that took effect June 1 because it limited the number of rooms available to rent, especially on busy weekends.
The Oregon Lodging Association said Lincoln County – and several of its cities – were the only ones in the state with such a restriction.
But County Counsel Wayne Belmont said the much larger Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association was recommending the 24-hour hold to its members. Although Depoe Bay and Waldport never had that requirement, Belmont said he polled other city managers in Lincoln County and was told their cities were reluctant to change the rule.
Hall told commissioners that even AirBnb was recommending the 24-hour hold between its rentals across the United States.
“If we don’t operate as though everyone has it we’re opening the door to an even greater spread,” Hall said.
Commissioners indicated they would wait until there is more information about the Pacific Seafood outbreak or when the county enters Oregon’s Phase 2 reopening.
While Phase 1 lasted 21 to 23 days for counties that entered Phase 2 last week, state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger says that Phase 2 will last through the summer and into the fall.
Sidelinger said the state would continue to evaluate additional activities, but does not plan to move beyond Phase 2 until there are preventive measures and an effective vaccine.
Oregon COVID cases reach highest point
But according to The Oregonian/Oregonlive, more Oregonians have been identified with coronavirus in the past week than at any point since the pandemic began. At the same time, residents in the hospital with the virus spiked by 40 percent.
The two statistics present sobering reminders that the coronavirus is far from contained as summer looms, it said.
The Oregon Health Authority reported 620 confirmed or presumed COVID-19 infections in the past week, including the state’s largest and second-largest daily case totals of 146 Sunday and 114 Monday.
That pushed the moving average for the past week to almost 89 infections identified a day, or 10 more a day than Oregon’s previous high. The number of infections reported daily bottomed out two weeks ago but has since doubled.
However, state public health officials told the newspaper that the rising case counts are not necessarily a sign of alarm. They pointed to record levels of testing and the large outbreak at Pacific Seafoods, both of which they said have helped tip the tally upward.
Health officials would not quantify how many daily infections, or what percentage of positive tests, would trigger broader concerns, saying they want more data and to look at the picture holistically.
“It’s hard to say anything definitive about a few days’ worth of data,” said Dr. Paul Cieslak, Oregon’s medical director for communicable diseases. “We’re really going to have to watch the trends and, you know, draw conclusions with the benefit of at least a little bit of hindsight.”
But Cieslak acknowledged some concern over a recent increase in active hospitalizations, which suggests people are seeking care at a faster pace and the sickest are not quickly leaving.
The number of Oregonians in the hospital as of June 2 with a confirmed case of COVID-19 stood at 46, the lowest since the state began releasing figures. But the number climbed to 65 people by Monday.
Motels in Lincoln City were having housekeepers clean rooms when guests checked out last Saturday night. Saturday nights bring in the most income. Lincoln City was full of people. Due to motel owners greed they have no regard for employee safety. Motels need to be shut down until July.