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SATURDAY-MONDAY • June 13, 2020
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COVID-19
by the
numbers*
Union County COVID-19 cases
more than double in a week
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
UNION COUNTY — Union County’s total
number of COVID-19 cases shot up to 13, more
than doubling in less than a week.
The Center for Human Development, La
Grande, reported the five new cases — one
presumptive and four confirmed — Friday
afternoon.
“These additional cases may be part of a
cluster of related cases, often referred to as
an outbreak, which public health is currently
investigating,” according to the press release
from the center.
CHD Public Health Administrator Carrie
Brogoitti explained what a presumptive case
means: “It could mean they’ve been tested and
are waiting, could mean they tested and were
negative but fit the criteria, or they could have
been tested previously and results were nega-
tive but are being tested again.”
The Oregon Health Authority, meanwhile,
announced Friday the state has 142 new con-
firmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, but
listed only four new cases in Union County.
The Center for Human Development reported
the state will update its total online at https://
govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-COVID-19 later
Friday.
Wallowa County remains at four cases total
with three active. Neither county has had any
deaths from the virus.
Union County’s total number of COVID-19
cases increased on Tuesday to seven, then to
eight a day later. Friday’s announcement of
five more marks the most for any day in the
county. The week’s worth of new cases come
in the wake of the county entering Phase 2 of
Gov. Kate Brown’s reopening plan and after
the county began more widespread testing for
coronavirus. The increase is something Bro-
goitti said she knew was possible as the county
opened up.
“Any gathering, such as protests, gradua-
tion celebrations, parades, are instances where
people gathering in larger groups can pose
See, COVID-19/Page 5A
Worldwide cases:
7,410,510
Worldwide deaths:
418,294
U.S. cases: 2,016,027
U.S. deaths: 113,914
Total U.S. tests:
22,418,881
Oregon cases: 5,377
Oregon active cases:
2,854
Oregon deaths: 173
Total Oregon tests:
166,019
Union County cases: 13
Union County active
cases: 8
Union County deaths: 0
Total Union County
tests: 619
Wallowa County cases:
4
Wallowa County active
cases: 3
Wallowa County
deaths: 0
Total Wallowa County
tests: 232
*As of 2 p.m. Friday,
June 12.
Sources: World Health
Organization, Centers for
Disease Control and Pre-
vention, Oregon Health
Authority and Oregon Mili-
tary Department.
FAQ
can help them,” Gleeson said.
Prior to the pandemic, Meals
on Wheels in Union County was
preparing and delivering 2,000
lunches a month. Now the number
is more than 2,400, Gleeson said.
The program implemented
significant changes in deliv-
ering meals because of social
distancing rules the state has in
THERE IS A CASE
IN MY COMMUNITY.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
During an outbreak,
stay calm and put your pre-
paredness plan to work.
Follow the steps below:
•Stay home if you are
sick.
Keep away from people
who are sick. Limit close
contact with others as much
as possible (about 6 feet).
•Stay informed about the
local COVID-19 situation,
including temporary school
dismissals in your area.
•Continue practicing
everyday preventive
actions. Cover coughs and
sneezes with a tissue and
wash your hands often with
soap and water for at least
20 seconds.
If soap and water are not
available, use a hand san-
itizer that contains 60%
alcohol.
Clean frequently touched
surfaces and objects daily.
•Notify your work-
place as soon as possible if
your regular work schedule
changes. Ask to work from
home or take leave if you or
someone in your household
See, Meals/Page 5A
See, Numbers/Page 5A
Staff photo by Dick Mason
Peggy Lanman, a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels, loads milk into her car Tuesday before making deliveries. The La Grande-based meal deliv-
ery service has seen an increase in the demand for services during the coronavirus outbreak.
Meals on Wheels picking up speed
J
Community Connection expands food program
By Dick Mason
ager for Community Connection
of Northeast Oregon at the Union
County Senior Center.
“We are seeing some of the
highest levels we’ve had in a
long time,” said Gleeson, who
has worked at the Union County
Senior Center for 15 years.
Gleeson said the demand for
Meals on Wheels, run by the
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Meals on
Wheels in Union County is
rolling along at a quick pace.
The program is providing an
increasing number of meals to
homebound Union County res-
idents, according to Sydney
Gleeson, the food services man-
Community Connection of North-
east Oregon, which operates
the senior center, is up sharply
because of the COVD-19 pan-
demic, which is hitting those
older than 60 the hardest. Many
seniors are fearful of leaving
their homes as a result and thus
are asking for Meals on Wheels
service.
“Many do not have family
members who live in the area who
Eastern Oregon commissioners challenge reopening rules
All three Union County
commissioners, two from
Wallowa County attend
without notice to public
J
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A dozen
county commissioners —
including all three from Union
County and two from Wallowa
County — met Thursday in Prairie
City to air grievances about what
they believe is the state’s mishan-
dling of the coronavirus pandemic.
“To be more than blunt it was
basically an oppor-
tunity for folks to
get together and
talk about frustra-
tions we are having
with the process
Anderes
and communication
from the executive
branch of Oregon’s government,”
Union County Commissioner Paul
Anderes told The Observer Friday.
Commissioners from seven
counties — Union, Wallowa,
Lake, Grant, Deschutes, Harney
and Jefferson — met to discuss a
range of topics that, according to
Anderes, included “concerns folks
had, whether it be school opening,
athletics, group gatherings, busi-
ness openings, what are the rules,
how do they apply, things like
that.”
The commissioners held the
meeting without giving a public
notice.
“We didn’t publicly notice it
specifically,” Anderes said, “but
I talked about (attending) it in a
public meeting.”
He and Wallowa County Com-
missioner Susan Roberts con-
tended the meeting was not held in
secret, noting news reporters cov-
ered the meeting.
Roberts said state’s guidelines
have been “all over the board”
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and pointed to what she said were
inconsistencies in what the state
allows. An example she cited was
the state’s OK with protests in the
1,000s over the killing of George
Floyd — in groups clearly vio-
lating social distancing measures
put in place to slow the spread of
the coronavirus — but gradua-
tions, for example, can’t be held.
“Why is it we can’t have a local
high school grad with 13 gradu-
ates (but) 10,000 people can form
on the street of Oregon? No one
can trace that down (if the virus
spreads),” she said. “We were
See, Rules/Page 5A
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Issue 71
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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