Wednesday, May 20, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
PHASE 1: City is
moving to a neutral
position on tourism
Continued from page 1
Ryan praised the resiliency
and determination of local
business owners.
<Most of them are way
down in revenue and are
quote-unquote 8in survival
mode9 right now,= he said.
<They9re all behind promot-
ing good social distancing
and PPE (personal protective
equipment).=
Several councilors and
City Manager Cory Misely
made a concerted effort to
reach out to local businesses
earlier this month in prepara-
tion for reopening, an effort
that councilors felt was
well-received.
Councilor Michael Preedin
said that, <Businesses just
want to know that the City
has their back. They just want
a chance for survival. We may
still lose some businesses, and
that9s unfortunate.=
Mayor Ryan noted that
some business owners have
expressed concern that some
patrons 4 young people and
out-of-town visitors in partic-
ular 4 are not respecting con-
cerns for employees9 safety.
<I can guarantee that, as
we open up, that9s going to be
a little bit of an issue,= Ryan
cautioned.
The council gave the nod
to Misley9s proposal that
the City be open to allowing
businesses to use City right-
of-way 4 essentially park-
ing spaces 4 for displays or
seating if that helps them to
meet distancing guidelines.
Councilors asked to see a plan
before authorizing the expen-
diture of $5,000 to $10,000 in
materials to make such uses
aesthetically pleasing.
Councilors expressed con-
cern that any such program
should not favor some busi-
nesses over others.
<I think it9s a fantastic
idea,= said Nancy Connolly.
<I just hope that there can be
equity for all businesses.=
The Council is also amena-
ble to offering some business
license fee relief.
While City Hall will
remain closed to the public
for now, the City is reopening
the recycling center 4 with
restrictions 4 due to high
public demand (see related
story, page 4).
The Council agreed to
extend its state of emergency
declaration, which retains
the City9s eligibility for state
and federal emergency fund-
ing and flexibility to enact or
maintain personnel protec-
tions. The City is officially
moving away from discour-
aging visitors and tourism to
a neutral position. Deschutes
County allowed its ban on
vacation rentals 4 a ban the
City never imposed 4 to
expire as of May 15.
<No one is advocating or
encouraging tourists or visi-
tors at this time,= Misley said.
Councilors are ambiva-
lent about reopening the
City campground adjacent to
Creekside Park. While they
agreed with the staff recom-
mendation to open the camp-
ground with spacing restric-
tions, reduced site capacity
and sharply limited stay times,
some councilors expressed
concern that it would attract
out-of-town visitors, which
Deschutes County opening under Phase 1
Deschutes and Jefferson
counties are included among
the counties in Oregon able to
begin “reopening” under restric-
tions and guidelines provided by
the Oregon Health Authority,
beginning Friday, May 15.
Phase 1 lays out a detailed
framework of protocols.
RETAIL STORES MUST:
• Limit the number of cus-
tomers in the retail store and
focus on maintaining at least
six feet of distance between
people and employees in the
store. Store management
should determine maximum
occupancy to maintain at least
six feet of physical distancing,
considering areas of the store
prone to crowding (like aisles)
and limit admittance accord-
ingly.
• Post clear signs (avail-
able at healthoregon.org/
coronavirus) listing COVID-19
symptoms, asking employees
and customers with symptoms
to stay home, and listing who to
contact if they need assistance.
• Use signs to encourage
physical distancing.
• Frequently clean and sani-
tize work areas, high-traffic
areas, and commonly touched
surfaces in both customer/pub-
lic and employee areas of store.
Wipe down changing room
doorknobs, walls and seating
between each customer use.
• Require all employees to
wear cloth, paper or dispos-
able face coverings. Businesses
must provide cloth, paper or
disposable face coverings for
employees.
RESTAURANTS & BARS
MUST:
• Ensure tables are spaced
at least six feet apart so that at
least six feet between parties
is maintained, including when
customers approach or leave
tables
• Require all employees to
wear cloth face or disposable
coverings (provided by the
employer)
• End all on-site consumption
of food and drinks by 10 p.m.
PERSONAL CARE SERVICES
(SALONS, BARBER SHOPS,
MASSAGE, ETC.) MUST:
• Make appointments with
pre-appointment health check.
• Maintain a customer log.
• Maintain 6 feet physical
distancing between clients.
• Remove all magazines,
newspapers, snacks and bever-
ages from waiting areas.
• Require face coverings by
employees and clients (depend-
ing on the services provided).
GYMS/FITNESS MUST:
• Limit maximum number of
customers accordingly.
• Enforce physical distancing
and sanitation.
LOCAL GATHERINGS ARE:
• Limited to 25 with no travel.
is contrary to the spirit of the
gradual reopening and the
City9s <neutral= position on
visitors.
<When we do open up,
we expect a high demand,=
Misley said. <There9s no way
to not allow people from cer-
tain areas to come to town.=
Councilor Andrea Blum
posed the question: <Are we
going to be OK opening June
1 with the campground filling
up with people from out of
state?=
It is not legally or logisti-
cally viable to discriminate
over who can reserve a camp-
site, so the City will have little
means to control where camp-
ers come from.
Councilor Preedin sug-
gested that the City can use
the weeks prior to the planned
opening to evaluate the risk,
observing whether the Phase I
reopening does, in fact, bring
a higher volume of visitors,
and the status of the disease
outbreak.
The City is still working on
sourcing PPE and hand-wash-
ing stations, which are in high
demand across the nation.
Most of Sisters9 major
events have independently
decided to cancel; the City
has not declined a permit for
23
an event. Such permits require
a public safety plan, which
now includes a COVID-
19 element, and must be
approved by the Deschutes
County health department.
Events must conform to spac-
ing requirements and gather-
ing size restrictions.
The same concerns exist
regarding events bringing
people to Sisters from out of
the area.
There have been no con-
firmed cases of COVID-19 in
the 97759 zip code and locals
hope to keep it that way, even
as the community seeks to
return to a higher level of
social and economic activity.
SUDOKU
SOLUTION
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