6A — THE OBSERVER
WALLOWA
Continued from Page 1A
accommodate up to 50
patients,” she said. “We
have been planning for an
event like this for months
and will be ready for what-
ever the situation in Union
County brings. We have
staffi ng plans in place to
ensure our community con-
tinues to get the care they
need.”
Wallowa Memorial has a
cooperative agreement with
Grande Ronde Hospital in
La Grande that includes
support with personal pro-
tective equipment, supplies
and other equipment needs,
Pace said.
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020
SPECIAL REPORT
Another source of
help is the Oregon Health
Authority, which serves as
the public health depart-
ment for the region. The
OHA is responsible for con-
tact tracing — tracking
potential sources of infec-
tion transmission — in the
state.
“The outbreak in
Union County should be a
wake-up call and reminder
to practice precautions that
are known to prevent out-
breaks, including avoiding
large gatherings, wearing
masks while in public,
washing your hands often,
staying home if you are
sick and practicing proper
physical distancing,” Pace
said.
TRACING
Continued from Page 1A
immigration status or bank
account information.
After the interview, the
contact tracer likely will
ask the close contact to
self-quarantine for 14 days.
Those who are symptom-
atic should undergo testing
and seek medical care if
necessary. The CDC also
encourages contact tracers
to direct those in self-quar-
antine to social services
for assistance during
isolation.
“Self-quarantine of
close contacts exposed
to COVID-19 prevents
transmission to others
to occur, health offi cials
will urge the person to get
tested.
Step four closes out the
contact’s case when the 14
days are up. People who
remained asymptomatic
are free to return to life as
usual. Those who devel-
oped symptoms but tested
negative need to remain in
self-quarantine for another
test.
and is critical to the suc-
cess of case investiga-
tion and contact tracing
efforts,” the CDC’s web-
site states. “Self-quaran-
tine requires that a con-
tact remain in a specifi c
room separate from other
non-exposed people and
pets in the home, and ide-
ally with access to a sepa-
rate bathroom.”
Once contacts self-quar-
antine, daily monitoring
will occur through com-
munication with local
health authorities. This
means people in quarantine
should email, call or text
local health offi cials with
daily updates regarding
their health and symp-
toms. If symptoms begin
Scams to look out
for
The Oregon Department
of Justice issued a notice
to be wary of scams where
people pretend to be con-
tact tracers.
According to the alert,
people receive emails and
text messages with links
to fraudulent websites.
Clicking on the link may
download software onto
a device, giving scam-
mers access to an array of
your personal and fi nancial
information.
The Center for Human
Development, La Grande,
said it is possible their
calls will come through
as an unknown number.
However, the tracer will
leave a message for a con-
tact to call back. The
Oregon Health Authority
has issued reminders that
a caller will not ask for
Social Security numbers
or bank account informa-
tion during their tracing
investigation.
U.S. virus outbreaks stir clash over masks, personal freedom
By Terry Tang,
Ken Moritsugu
and Lisa Marie Pane
Associated Press
PHOENIX — When the
coronavirus fl ared in China
this week, the country can-
celed fl ights, suspended
reopenings and described
the situation as “extremely
grave.” But with cases rising
in some U.S. states, offi cials
have balked at requiring
people to wear masks.
In the United States,
which has the most con-
fi rmed cases and deaths in
the world, authorities wres-
tled Wednesday with bal-
ancing demands for consti-
tutional rights and personal
freedom with warnings
from health offi cials that
being lax will have deadly
consequences.
China responded to a
new outbreak in Beijing by
scrapping more than 60%
of its fl ights to the cap-
ital, canceling classes and
strengthening requirements
for social distancing. It was
a sharp retreat for the nation
that declared victory over
COVID-19 in March.
Photo by John Raoux/Associated Press
A TSA worker, right, checks a passenger before entering a security screening Wednes-
day at Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis stated
Tuesday that 52% of airport employees tested positive for COVID-19. But Phil Brown, CEO
of Orlando International Airport, said in a statement Wednesday that last week’s rate of
positive cases from the 500 workers tested last week was only 0.4%.
“This has truly rung an
alarm bell for us,” Party
Secretary Cai Qi told a
meeting of Beijing’s Com-
munist Party Standing
Committee.
China’s actions follow
about 137 new cases, a frac-
tion of the number some
U.S. states see each day. In
Arizona, more than 1,100
people visited emergency
rooms on Tuesday alone
with positive or suspected
cases. Alabama also is run-
ning out of hospital space,
stirring impassioned debate
over a mask requirement.
Other states that haven’t
mandated face coverings,
like Texas and Florida, are
seeing infections soar.
With masks becoming
a political symbol, Demo-
cratic presidential candidate
Joe Biden has taken aim at
President Donald Trump’s
approach to the pandemic.
“Donald Trump wants
to style himself as a war-
time president. Unlike any
other wartime leader, he
takes no responsibility, he
exercises no leadership,
now he has just fl at surren-
dered the fi ght,” Biden said
Wednesday.
Biden has worn a mask
at public events, while
Trump hasn’t, even on occa-
sions such as touring auto
factory fl oors when they are
required. Aides say Trump
thinks they’re unfl attering
and that wearing one proj-
ects weakness.
The mask debate is
playing out nationwide,
notably in hard-hit states
where face coverings have
become a political and cul-
tural debate.
Hundreds of medical
professionals signed a letter
urging Arizona Gov. Doug
Ducey to require them. On
Wednesday, the Republican
said the state will allow
local governments to make
policies on masks.
Ducey, who wore a mask
to a news conference but
took it off before speaking,
said counties had vastly dif-
ferent rates of infection.
“For some things, a
statewide directive or exec-
utive order works very
well,” he said. “If you have
12 or 13 counties that say
‘pound sand’ on an execu-
tive order ... it’s a self-de-
feating executive order.”
Ducey has resisted new
restrictions on businesses,
saying it would be up to
mayors to enforce use of
masks and attributing Ari-
zona’s surge in cases to
increased testing. The state
has been doing more tests,
which can yield more cases,
but health experts say a
better way to see if more
people are getting sick is
to look at the percentage of
positive tests. When that
percentage rises, it means
the outbreak is worsening
— not just that more people
are getting tested.
Brown requires people in seven counties to wear masks indoors
By Sara Cline
Associated Press
SALEM — Gov.
Kate Brown announced
Wednesday that residents
in seven of Oregon’s coun-
ties will be required to wear
masks at indoor public
spaces as COVID-19 social
distancing restrictions are
tentatively eased.
Multnomah County, the
state’s most populous, is
among the counties where
people will be required to
wear masks indoors.
Brown also gave the
go-ahead to four counties
to enter a new reopening
phase, including Mult-
nomah, home to Portland,
which had been the only
county that had not yet
entered phase 1.
These announcements
come as the state continues
to see a spike in cases. As
of Wednesday’s case count,
the total number of people
who have tested positive for
coronavirus in Oregon is
6,218.
In addition, one more
person died from the dis-
ease, raising the state’s
death toll to 183.
Last week Brown issued
a statewide pause on all
county applications to move
into a new reopening phase,
in order to give health
experts “time to assess
what factors are driving
the spread of the virus and
make adjustments to our
reopening strategy.”
After an analysis of the
growth of new cases, hos-
pitalizations and results
of contact tracing, Brown
approved Marion, Polk,
and Hood River counties to
implement phase 2 of the
state’s reopening plan and
Multnomah County begin
phase 1 Friday.
“While Multnomah
County has seen an increase
in new cases recently, the
county has not experienced
an uptrend in new hospital
admissions, and overall
hospitalizations remain well
within capacity,” Brown
said about the county,
which was the only Oregon
county that had not yet
reached phase one.
However, residents in all
four counties approved to
move into the next phase, in
addition to Clakamas, Lin-
coln and Hood River coun-
ties, will be required to
wear face covering while in
public indoor spaces begin-
ning June 24.
Up until now, the gov-
ernor had determined what
counties could enter a
new phase on a county by
county basis. However, that
is changing.
Some counties will now
be grouped together as
regional units for reopening
decisions.
The tri-county area––
Multnomah, Washington,
and Clackamas counties—
will be treated as a single
unit Marion and Polk Coun-
ties, which each include
parts of Salem, will also
be treated as a unit going
forward.
“Both of these regions
include a highly-connected
urban area, making it diffi -
cult to monitor the disease
based solely on the contours
of county jurisdictional
lines,” Brown said.
As a result of these deci-
sions, the entire tri-county
region will remain in phase
1 for at least 21 days, begin-
ning June 19. After that, the
regional unit will become
eligible for phase 2 if they
meet requirements.
“I know this impacts
communities and busi-
nesses in Clackamas and
Washington counties,”
Brown said. “But, as we
reopen our state, we must
recognize how intercon-
nected the metro area is.”
Statewide, Oregon has
seen a rise in confi rmed
COVID-19 cases in recent
days following the outbreak
in Union County and an
outbreak at a seafood pro-
cessing plant in Newport, a
city in Lincoln County.
Brown said that over
the next week the Oregon
Health Authority will
closely be monitoring case
data across the state.
“If hospitalizations spike
too rapidly, if the capacity
of our health care system
is threatened, we will be
forced to revert to stricter
rules,” Brown said.
Northeast Oregon Directory of Churches
Services This
Week
First Christian
Church
(Disciples of Christ)
FIRST LANDMARK
MISSIONARY BAPTIST
CHURCH
1812 1st St. La Grande
901 Penn Avenue 963-2623 Pastor Dave Tierce • 541-605-0215
lgdisciples@gmail.com
We use the King James Version Bible
Worship
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School - 10:00 am
Worship 11:00 am
Sunday Evening Bible Study - 3:00 pm (Effective June 10)
Wednesday Evening - 6:30 pm
“Where you can find TRUTH according to the scriptures”
~Join us at The Lord’s Table~
Zion Lutheran
Church
(an ELCA church)
902 Fourth Street,
La Grande, OR
(541) 963-5998
9:00 am - Worship
10:00 am - Fellowship & Refreshments
10:30 am - Classes
Pastor: Roberta Smythe
www.zionlagrande.org
First Baptist
Church
SIXTH &
SPRING,
LA GRANDE
541-963-3911
All services have been temporarily cancelled.
Live-streaming Sunday mornings at
10:00 am. People can watch at:
lagrandefbc.org
St. Katherine’s
Catholic Church
Fr. Thomas Puduppulliparamban
301 E Garfield Enterprise
Mass Schedule
Sundays:
St Pius X, Wallowa – 8:00 am
St Katherine of Siena, Enterprise – 10:30 am
Saturdays
St Katherine of Siena, Enterprise – 5:30 pm
Weekdays
St Katherine of Siena, Enterprise – 8:00 am
(Monday – Thursday and First Friday)
All are welcome
1531 S. Main
Street, Union
541-562-5531
www.UnionBaptistOregon.org
Sunday School
9:45 am
Morning Worship 11:00 am
Thursday AWANA 6:30 pm
Birthing, Building and Being
the Body of Christ
GRACE COMMUNITY
LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Place
62848 Philynda Loop in Island City
“We are called to Serve”
109 18th Street • 963-3402
Sunday School 9:15 a.m.
Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Phone: 541-568-4230
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
www.flmbclagrande.com
LA GRANDE UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
“OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS”
1612 4th Street – 963-2498
Pastor Taylor Gould
lgumc@eoni.com
www.lagrandeumc.org
Office Hours: Mon-Thur 9am-Noon
Worship 10:00 am
Fellowship Coffee Hour 11:00 am
Amazing Grace
Fellowship
1316 T St., La Grande, OR
541-568-4567
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
2 Cor 12:9 My Grace is
sufficient for you.
IS 40:31
- Nursery provided -
Imbler
Christian
Church
440 Ruckman, Imbler 534-2201
www.imblerchristianchurch.org
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
Worship Service
Cove United
Methodist Church
1708 Jasper St., Cove, OR
North Powder
United
Methodist Church
390 E. St., North Powder, OR
JOIN US... Catch the Spirit!
Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove
Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder
La Grande Seventh-day
SUMMERVILLE
BAPTIST CHURCH
Sunday Services:
Sunday School & Adult Bible Classes
9:45AM
Children’s Church & Worship Service
11:00AM
Family Worship Service
6:00PM
Wednesday:
Prayer Mtg, Children’s Bible Club, Youth
Group 7:00PM
A church for your whole family
Visit us at summervillebaptistchurch.org
Adventist Church
A Place where hope is found in Jesus
Join us in Fellowship & Worship Every
Saturday
9:30 a.m. - Bible Study/Fellowship
10:45 a.m. - Worship Service
2702 Adams Avenue, La Grande • 963-4018
Pastor: Mike Armayor
www.lagrandeor.adventistchurch.org
Learning for Today and Eternity
Little Friends
Christian Preschool/Childcare 963-6390
La Grande Adventist Christian School
Christian Education K-8th Grade 963-6203