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About The Dalles chronicle. (The Dalles, OR) 1998-2020 | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2020)
The Dalles Chronicle TheDallesChronicle.com EMERGENCY statewide emergency,” the governor said in her formal Volunteer corps declaration issued Sunday. As a result, major hospitals activated around Oregon are being Continued from page A1 cleared to conduct their own tests to detect COVID-19, a volunteer corps of retired medical professionals is be- Gov. Kate Brown on ing activated to help particu- Saturday night declared a larly in rural areas, and work state of emergency. “I find that the novel infec- groups are devising counsel tious coronavirus has created for communities to deal with vulnerable populations, in- a threat to public health and safety and constitutes a cluding one for homeless and one for elderly in congregate care. The extraordinary steps followed new test results Saturday that identified seven new cases of people presumed infected with the disease. That included five in Washington County, and one each in Douglas and Marion counties. Statewide, health officials said 14 people have tested positive for the respira- tory disease. SCHOOLS COVID-19 transmission and maintain a normal learning environment for students Handwashing and staff. Under existing OHA increase suggested guidance, individuals who have COVID-19, including Continued from page A1 students and educators, will be subject to self-isolation to prevent others from becom- strategies educational administrators can use to ing infected. reduce the risk of COVID-19 Among the measures within a school community that educational institu- and protect students from tions should consider are lost instructional time. increasing the frequency of The guidance recognizes handwashing for children, that the instruction schools youth and adults; cleaning and universities provide is high-touch, high-traffic ar- vital to student well-being. eas within schools frequent- In addition, schools provide ly and screening for illness many students their only among students, staff and ready access to health care visitors. and food. The policy also highlights More than 22,000 students more aggressive measures in Oregon experienced some involving social distanc- form of homelessness in ing strategies that school 2019. leaders and educators could The recommendation employ to minimize the gives schools tools to prevent spread of COVID-19 or other infections. This could include stagger- ing recess and lunch periods to reduce the number of students coming into close contact with each other. The recommendations are meant to guide deci- sion-making for school dis- tricts, colleges and universi- ties, in consultation with state and local health officials. School districts and higher education administrators have the option of closing a school or university if many students and staff are affect- ed by COVID-19, leaving the school unable to operate safely and effectively. Other measures, such as social distancing tech- niques, should be deployed by schools and universities first, with extended closures viewed as a measure of last resort, according to the OHA. increased cases” as most testing is done, said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state health Some sources officer. The two cases out of unknown Jackson County involve peo- Continued from page A1 ple in the same household whose infection is related to travel. They are in treatment million to cover escalating while in isolation at home, costs at the Oregon Health according to Dr. Jim Shames, Authority, the state agency leading Oregon’s response to Jackson County public the coronavirus. The board is officer. Health officials said the scheduled to meet in Salem person ill in Klamath County on Monday. was related to travel, while On Saturday, the Health the new Washington County Authority announced four case involved someone in new presumptive positive contact with a person already virus cases, including two under treatment for the in Jackson County, one in coronavirus. Klamath County and a third Sidelinger said health offi- case in Washington County. “We are going to see cials still haven’t determined the source of the coronavi- rus that infected a school employee from Washington County and a casino worker from Pendleton. Health officials were releasing little information about the individuals and about the number of people put under monitoring after it was determined they had been in contact with those presumed to be infected. They said they were keep- ing details confidential to avoid stigmatizing potential patients who might not come forward. “Stigma may put us all at risk,” said Sidelinger. They also are trying to keep Oregonians from overreacting. FUNDING STORE CLOSING UP TO 70 % OFF EVERYTHING IN-STORE! THIS LOCATION ONLY! THE DALLES 116 E 2ND STREET • THE DALLES, OR Stay up to date on the go: TheDallesChronicle.com Wednesday, March 11, 2020 A5