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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2020)
16 Wednesday, May 6, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon CITY RESPONSE: Moving toward recovery Continued from page 1 center and other city facili- ties and contingency plans for whether and how the City campground will operate. The City has limited abil- ity to act independently on pandemic response. <The City has limited decision-making power, we really do,= Ryan said. <We9re following state and federal guidelines.= The City is awaiting action from the State of Oregon and Deschutes County to initiate a three-phased program to reopen economic and social activity projected to start this month 4 with restrictions. The City9s current under- standing is that, <the first phase includes restaurants and bars, most retail, child- care, outdoor recreation, and other personal services (hair/ nail salons, etc.).= Criteria key off of Trump administration guidelines that say that reopening requires downward trajectories of cases during a 14-day period or of positive tests as a per- cent of total tests. They also call for <surge capacity= in healthcare systems and <robust testing and contact tracing.= Counties are sub- mitting framework plans for reopening; Deschutes County was expected to complete and submit its plan this week. Some eastern coun- ties have had very few or no confirmed COVID-19, while overall, the state has seen 2,680 confirmed cases, resulting in 109 deaths. As of Monday, Deschutes County has had 79 confirmed cases, but no COVID-19 deaths. Deschutes County has seen neither a substantial spike nor a marked, steady decline in cases, which makes it unclear how criteria will be applied here. Misely acknowledged that there is uncertainty in the commu- nity because we don9t know when we9ll be in Phase 1 or how long we9ll be in Phase 1. Misley and Ryan told The Nugget that the City is com- mitted to providing clear information and guidance as it becomes available. Clarity and consistency of communication and pol- icy are significant goals for council and staff. <It9s a very fluid and also nuanced situation,= Misley said. Ryan and Misley noted that one of the things the Council will have to deter- mine is what message the City is sending out into the broader world regarding Sisters9 posture. Currently, the City is officially discour- aging visitors. Misley said that it9s hard to envision actively encour- aging an influx of visitors any time this summer (and most of Sisters9 major events have canceled in part to avoid doing so) but the City will need to decide, <Do we need to extend the discouragement and what does it mean to be 8neutral9?= Misely and Ryan recog- nized that consistent guide- lines and message are impor- tant to businesses that are trying to figure out what the next steps are going forward into summer. Councilors and staff spent several hours last week reaching out to business own- ers to see what their outlook is. While the business com- munity is clearly taking a serious beating due to restric- tions on activity, Ryan said he was impressed by what he heard. <They9re not giving up,= Ryan said. <They9re rein- venting themselves in many ways. I9m just amazed at the resolve of these businesses.= The City is also looking at ways it might support the community, including pro- viding access to safety and personal protective equip- ment. Public Works Project Coordinator Troy Rayburn has been working on sourcing hand-washing stations and sanitizer, and other PPE, but Sisters is one of thousands of municipalities competing for scarce resources. <It9s pretty dry out there,= Misley said. <It9s rough sled- ding. There are hundreds of small towns across Oregon struggling to deal with this.= Misley said that the City is also open to looking at ways it can support busi- nesses in meeting state and county requirements for social distancing in restau- rant settings and conform- ing to other guidelines. It9s also important that the busi- nesses in Sisters are all on the same page in meeting cus- tomer and employee safety requirements. <How can we make sure the businesses are being as consistent as possible?= Misley said. 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That plan has to be signed off on by the Deschutes County Health Department. <Within that plan, it needs to address COVID-19,= Misley said. It9s not clear yet how that will play out in practical terms. <We haven9t crossed that bridge yet,= Misley said. <We9re trying to build a chan- nel to the county.= As the Sisters commu- nity seeks to emerge from lockdown and move into a social and economic envi- ronment radically changed by COVID-19, the City of Sisters is striving to find a way to balance public health and safety and economic and social well-being 4 with constraints on their range of action and limited tools in the policy tool kit. <It9s a perfect storm,= Misley said. <It really is.= Open for curbside pick-up or takeout and limited home delivery! Tues.-Sat., 4 to 7 p.m. Weekly dinner & Wine to-go specials 391 W. W C Cascade d A Ave. | 5 541-549-2675 41 549 2675 corkcellarswinebistro.com