Saturday, November 21, 2020
tHe obServer — 5A
FREEZE
Continued from Page 1A
Northeast Oregon Joint Information Center/Contributed Photo
Workers prepare a swab test for COVID-19 during a
drive-thru clinic in June at the Union County Fairgrounds, La
Grande. The county’s positive test rate for the novel corona-
virus in November ranks among the worst in Oregon.
NUMBERS
Continued from Page 1A
where Multnomah Coun-
ty’s tests have come back
positive for the virus at an
overall rate of 6%, Union
County’s have come back at
9% positive.
Malheur County remains
the most severely affected
county in the state per
capita. The county’s health
department reported it
has a daily positive rate of
22%on COVID-19 tests. The
sparsely populated county
also has recorded 39 deaths.
Those numbers relate to
the pandemic overall, since
March. However, when
more recent trends in test
positivity are highlighted,
they illustrate a startling
reality.
According to tracking
data from the Oregon Health
Authority, 257 reported
COVID-19 tests were per-
formed in Union County
Nov. 8-14. Of those 257
tests, 68 were positive — a
rate of 26.5%.
For comparison, during
that same time period Mult-
nomah County’s positivity
rate was 13.3%, and Mal-
heur County, which was
experiencing the worst per
capita outbreak in the state,
tested positive at 28.2%.
Across the state and in
Union County specifically,
the numbers show the pan-
demic is deepening in its
severity, and the conse-
quences have been manifold.
Hospital capacity
Grande Ronde Hospital
reimplemented restrictions
on visits to patients that
it had rolled back earlier
this year. The hospital also
reported in a Tuesday press
release that its workforce
had been “impacted” by
COVID-19. On Wednesday,
OHA reported six cases
related to a workplace out-
break at the hospital.
While the hospital
remains well-stocked with
personal protective equip-
ment and said it expected
no disruptions to its service,
hospitals in the region and
across the state are carrying
heavy loads.
Oregon’s hospital
capacity is tracked by
region. Union, Malheur,
Baker, Wallowa, Umatilla
and Morrow Counties make
up Region 9, where avail-
ability for staffed intensive
care unit beds has fallen to
just over one-third of total
capacity, with only 10 ICU
beds available in the region
as of Thursday, according to
data from the OHA.
Nearby Region 6, which
includes The Dalles and
Hood River, had only four
of their 10 ICU beds avail-
able, and Region 7, which
includes most of Central
Oregon, had space in only
five of their 49.
Non-ICU beds are also
dwindling in supply. As
of Nov. 19, just 49 beds, or
36.6% of total, remain avail-
able in the region.
With hospitals
approaching capacity across
the state and in neighboring
states, the once-heralded
phrase “flatten the curve”
has become perhaps more
relevant than ever before.
Consequences
Throughout the public
health crisis, public health
officials have pleaded with
the public to practice proper
pandemic hygiene: social
distancing, hand washing,
minimizing social inter-
actions and working from
home whenever possible.
Despite warnings from
officials, COVID-19 has
exploded across the country
and state and within the
county.
Outbreaks took hold
this month in La Grande
at the Wildflower Lodge
Assisted Living Commu-
nity and Grande Ronde Hos-
pital. Cases have reached La
Grande, Union, Cove and
Imbler school districts, and
some of those districts have
returned to online learning
formats.
Gov. Kate Brown placed
the entire state of Oregon
under a two-week “freeze”
that began Wednesday, Nov.
18, and extends through
the Thanksgiving holiday.
The order restricts restau-
rants to takeout and delivery
services, closes gyms, fit-
ness centers, theaters and
museums, and prohibits
indoor visitation at long-
term care facilities, among
other mandates. With
Thanksgiving around the
corner, the Oregon Health
Authority is pleading with
Oregonians to limit the size
of their holiday gatherings.
Additionally, Oregon,
Washington and California
issued travel advisories
against nonessential out-of-
state travel and are asking
travelers to self-quarantine
for 14 days after arriving at
their destination.
The COVID-19 pan-
demic has killed more than
a quarter of a million people
in the U.S. and has infected
more than 11 million.
The number of new
and presumptive cases of
COVID-19 in Oregon set
another one-day record
Friday with 1,306, while
the day before also was the
single deadliest in Oregon
for reported deaths from
the virus with 20.
Locally, the Center for
Human Development, La
Grande, announced 17 new
cases of COVID-19 Friday,
bringing the county’s
six-day total to 76, and the
total since the start of the
pandemic to 655.
“Taking risk reduction
measures today is critical
to slowing the spread of
COVID-19 to keep those
in our community that are
more vulnerable to serious
illness and death safe and
to helping maintain hos-
pital capacity so that all
Oregonians can continue
to have access to quality
care,” CHD stated in the
announcement.
The executive order
lists facilities that must
close during the two-week
freeze, including “gyms
and fitness organizations,”
but does not go into detail
about the definition of a
gym.
Other gyms
disregard the freeze
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Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
The Club 24 in Pendleton, as well as those in other parts
of Oregon and Washington, is turning over control of its
facility to Tawtnuk Wellness Institute, which will operate
the gyms as “wellness clinics,” as a means of staying
open safely during the pandemic.
under the freeze orders has
been referred to OSHA.
Oregon OSHA has
conducted much of the
enforcement of Brown’s
orders in regard to busi-
ness operations during the
pandemic. Spokesperson
Aaron Corvin said “willful
violations” have resulted in
citations.
“Oregon OSHA would
have to evaluate a situa-
tion and let the facts drive
what we do,” Corvin said.
“I would say ... on its face,
if you have a business that
is defying, openly disre-
garding these restrictions,
you would have a situa-
tion where they’re doing
it willfully, and at OSHA
we have issued citations
for willful violations for
employers who violate the
restrictions.”
Still, he stressed, OSHA
would have to determine
the facts about what is hap-
pening at Anytime Fitness,
“but on its face, that is a
willful disregard for the
requirements to maintain a
safe and healthy workplace
for workers.”
Corvin also said if
someone makes a com-
plaint about a business not
following COVID-19 man-
dates, OSHA looks into the
complaint. Sometimes the
agency can work with the
business owner to “satis-
factorily” resolve the com-
plaint without opening a
formal enforcement pro-
cess, he said, while other
times the agency might end
up issuing fines and other
penalties.
Oregon OSHA’s basic
expectation is businesses
follow the restrictions,
he said, including as they
apply under the two-week
freeze.
La Grande police also
stated anyone who notices
a business violating
COVID-19 safety mea-
sures could file a report
with the Oregon Occupa-
tional Safety and Health
Administration.
To file a complaint
online, visit: https://osha.
oregon.gov/workers/Pages/
index.aspx.
Anytime Fitness is not
other gyms in Salem indi-
the only gym in the region cleaning protocols” and
cated they also were con-
require masks at all times.
disregarding the freeze. A
sidering staying open.
Some amenities, such as
trio of gyms in Umatilla
showers and saunas, will
County are taking unique
Police emphasize
be closed.
steps to stay open.
education
“Overall, the look and
Club 24, which owns
Brown has said she
locations in Hermiston and feel should be close to
what you are used to when expected law enforce-
Pendleton, notified mem-
bers that during the shut-
ment to take an “educa-
it comes to Club 24 facil-
ities with direct changes
down it will turn over
tion first approach” to non-
compliance, but the rules
that will only make our
control of its facilities to
under the two-week freeze
facilities cleaner in order
Tawtnuk Wellness Insti-
tute, which will operate
were enforceable under
to allow you to keep
the gyms as “wellness
improving your health,” an the law. La Grande police
clinics.” Hermiston Ath-
emphasizes education over
email to members stated.
letic Club in Hermiston
citations.
The email also out-
lined the financial difficul-
posted a similar message
La Grande police Lt.
ties Club 24 has faced this
on its Facebook page.
Jason Hays in an email
year, through shutdowns
The website for Taw-
stated, “In regards to Any-
tnuk Wellness Institute
when Umatilla County was time Fitness or any busi-
describes the institute
in baseline or Phase 1, and ness in La Grande who is
in violation of the Gover-
as fulfilling “the holistic
through people canceling
nor’s executive orders or
wellness of all communi-
their memberships.
ties by converting health
COVID related restric-
“Cherished colleagues
tions, the La Grande Police
clubs, gyms, and fitness
had to find new jobs
Department will continue
centers to wellness facili-
because other businesses
ties” and offers two links,
were able to be open when to educate the business
one to an intake form for
owners on the fluctuating
we were not,” the email
Club 24 and one for Herm- stated.
rules in an effort to assist
iston Athletic Club. It lists
them with compliancy.
Those concerns echoed
Orien Fiander, who has in
other complaints that gyms COVID related violations
the past described himself
that occur in a business
in Oregon have made
as the CEO of Club 24 and during the latest shutdown. fall under the jurisdic-
tion of the Oregon Occu-
owner of Hermiston Ath-
The Statesman Journal
letic Club, as its owner and reported Courthouse Club
pational Health and Safety
CEO.
Administration.”
Fitness in Salem was
According to informa-
Hays also said Police
staying open in defiance
tion on the Club 24 web-
of the governor’s executive Chief Gary Bell talked to
site, members of its gyms
the owner of Anytime Fit-
order, quoting a statement
ness just prior to the freeze
in Oregon and Washington from owner John Miller:
and educated him on the
will be able to work out
“As a result of the harm
governor’s directives for
on-site during the shut-
done to our business from
down if they bring a doc-
the first shutdown, we will the impending freeze. Hays
tor’s note prescribing exer- not survive another clo-
also reported that Anytime
sure.” The article claimed
cise or if they fill out an
Fitness’s remaining open
intake form for Tawtnuk
Wellness Institute. Taw-
tnuk will conduct a tem-
perature screening at the
door, require sign-ins
for contact tracing pur-
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T O Y OUR
H EALTH
CHIROPRACTIC
Phil Wright/The Observer
Gym users work out without masks Thursday night, Nov. 19, 2020, at Anytime Fitness,
La Grande, which is remaining open despite Gov. Kate Brown’s orders to shutdown for
two weeks to help ebb the spike in the spread of COVID-19.
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