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Wednesday, April 8, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
County prohibits
short-term rental stays
To reduce exposure to and
spread of COVID-19, the
Deschutes County Board of
Commissioners has prohibited
short-term rental stays in the
rural, unincorporated areas of
the county. The order does not
apply to short-term rentals in
the City of Sisters.
The order, which goes
into effect immediately, will
prohibit stays of less than 30
days in vacation rentals, short-
term rentals, timeshares, inns
and bed and breakfasts. It will
remain in effect until May 15.
The order does not prevent
an owner of a timeshare from
using their own timeshare, but
it does restrict them from rent-
ing their timeshare to another
party.
<We9re doing everything
we can to protect the health
and safety of Deschutes
County residents,= said
Deschutes County Commis-
sioner Patti Adair. <It is our
hope that taking this step
now will limit non-essen-
tial travel to our region and
help to reduce the spread of
COVID-19.=
During their meeting last
week, commissioners said
they9ve received multiple
requests from local residents
to issue the order based on
behavior they9ve seen the
past two weeks. Many of the
requests came from perma-
nent residents who live in
resort communities.
<By taking this step, we
hope our region will be better
positioned to recover quickly
after the pandemic ends,= said
Deschutes County Commis-
sioner Phil Henderson. <Cen-
tral Oregon is a fantastic place
to visit, but for now, some
trips must wait. We need to
take steps now to ensure that
we9re doing everything we
can to control and contain the
spread of this virus.=
The order does not prohibit
reservations needed for per-
mitted essential travel, includ-
ing reservations needed for
health, safety or employment.
For more information, visit
www.deschutes.org. A copy
of the full order is available in
the County9s news section.
Airport travelers asked
to self-quarantine
With a surge in COVID-
19 cases expected to inten-
sify later this month, officials
across the region are urging
people to take steps to reduce
the spread of contamina-
tion to alleviate pressures on
hospitals.
The City of Redmond-
owned Redmond Municipal
Airport (RDM) is now
encouraging all airport pas-
sengers to do a 14-day in-
home self-quarantine upon
arrival in Central Oregon.
<These actions are diffi-
cult, but they will help flatten
the curve and lay the ground-
work for a quicker recovery,=
said Redmond Mayor George
Endicott.
With the virus spreading
more each day, this recom-
mendation is being made
regardless of the originating
airport. RDM is currently
experiencing a 90 percent
reduction in travelers passing
through the terminal, down
from a daily average of 1,500.
Individuals who develop
symptoms during their volun-
tarily self-quarantine should
contact their medical pro-
vider immediately. For gen-
eral questions about the virus
and/or symptoms call the free
COVID-19 non-emergency
hotline at 541-699-5109,
open from 8 a.m. to 6:30
p.m., Monday to Friday. The
hotline connects callers with
caregivers and county health
professionals.
Local fire chiefs institute burn ban
Deschutes County Fire
Chiefs are temporarily closing
outdoor burning as a result of
the COVID-19 virus. Outdoor
burning will close at sunset on
Friday, April 10.
Ban also includes Camp
Sherman in Jefferson County.
Outdoor burning restric-
tions may be lifted if impacts
of the COVID-19 virus sub-
side before fire season begins.
Local fire officials say
the decision to temporarily
close outdoor burning was not
easy. The health benefits for
vulnerable populations were
considered along with the
need to encourage people to
reduce combustible vegetation
around their homes.
Fire Chiefs consulted with
officials at the Deschutes
County Emergency Opera-
tions Center as well as regional
wildfire protection agencies,
including the Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry, before mak-
ing the final decision.
Deschutes County Fire
Defense Board Chief Mike
Supkis said, <We are prepar-
ing for a potential increase in
emergency response activity
in the coming weeks. We want
to ensure we have enough
firefighter paramedics avail-
able to care for residents who
become sick.=
Most Deschutes County
fire departments also provide
ambulance transport services.
If firefighter paramedics are
responding to burning com-
plaints or escaped controlled
burns, responses to medical
emergencies could be slowed.
Chief Supkis encourages
residents to contact their local
fire department if they have
any questions.
Small businesses can apply for loans
Small businesses impacted
by coronavirus can start
applying for emergency loans
to cover payroll and other
costs, according to Treasury
Department guidance.
The Treasury published
fact sheets for lenders and
borrowers for the $349 billion
Paycheck Protection Program
that was part of the $2.3 tril-
lion economic lifeline pack-
age enacted March 27.
The program is relying on
the Small Business Admin-
istration9s existing network
of around 1,800 banks and
credit unions in its Section
7(a) loan guaranty program to
provide small businesses for-
givable loans to cover payroll
and other fixed costs. Small
businesses and sole propri-
etorships could start applying
Friday, April 3, for loans from
existing SBA-approved lend-
ers. Independent contractors
and self-employed individu-
als can do the same starting
April 10.
Nonprofit organizations
can also apply.
Call list below for banks
who can administer forgiv-
able loans:
You do not need to put up
collateral.
One will pay for two
months of payroll, two
months of rent and utili-
ties. Or, you can apply for a
$10,000 forgivable loan (can9t
We are
Closed!
use both programs):
First Interstate Bank,
Amy Berger, 541-617-3612,
amy.berger@fib.comfirst
interstatebank.com.
MidOregon Credit Union,
Mik e Te ste rma n , 5 4 1 -
585-1879, mtesterman@
midoregon.com.
Wells Fargo Bank, Jessica
Beck, 503-318-3988, jessica.
beck2@wellsfargo.com.
Stay healthy and we
will see you soon!
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