SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020
THE OBSERVER — 5A
HUNT
RESORT
Continued from Page 1A
Continued from Page 1A
safely. The organs the cou-
gars escaped with included
the elk’s heart, which disap-
pointed Anderson.
“I’ve always wanted to
eat an elk heart,” she said.
Anderson took the elk
after a few days of dealing
not only with challenging
terrain but also cold, windy
conditions. The wind blew
constantly and sometimes
reached speeds of about 40
Nicolina Anderson/Contributed Photo
mph.
Elk were abundant
Nicolina Anderson of La Grande hefts the head and antlers
but not as common as the
of the elk she harvested in October 2020 in Wyoming.
pronghorn antelope, which
tion came out of the blue.
were everywhere. Ander-
Heroes. The North Powder
“I did not know my
son’s party also encoun-
outdoorsman said he likes
name had been put in,”
tered a bull moose with a
helping veterans overcome
said Anderson, explaining
female and a calf.
challenges to have suc-
“We didn’t want to get
that Jeff Grende, a family
cessful hunts, and he does
near them because they will friend, had done this
not foresee a day anytime
charge,” Anderson said.
without telling her.
soon that he will stop vol-
Anderson learned her
Grende said he often
unteering for the program.
name had been drawn for
nominates veterans he
“I always have a
Hunting with Heroes last
thinks would enjoy par-
great time and it is so
spring. News of her selec-
ticipating in Hunting with
rewarding,” he said.
“It’s going to be a very
tough year for us fi nan-
cially,” Johnson said.
“Day tickets are our main
source of revenue. I’ve
heard some people say
we’re just trying to push
season pass sales, that is
not the case at all. The
reason we’re doing pass-
holders only is that pass-
holders generally make
up about 25% of our
daily skier visits. So the
reason we’re starting with
just passholders is so
we can gauge and make
sure we’re not going over
capacity.”
The fi rst two week-
COVID-19
Continued from Page 1A
The death toll in Union
County now stands at fi ve.
In its weekly report
published Wednesday,
Nov. 25, OHA confi rmed
one person had died in
connection to the outbreak
at the Wildfl ower Lodge
Assisted Living Commu-
nity, La Grande.
“Our hearts go out to
the family and friends who
have lost a loved one and
are grieving” said Carrie
Brogoitti, Union County
public health adminis-
trator. “As we begin the
holiday season with rap-
idly rising case counts in
Oregon, this diffi cult news
is a reminder that efforts
to slow the spread of the
virus are still needed.”
The state of Oregon
as a whole experienced a
record-breaking week for
COVID-19 deaths. OHA
announced the highest sin-
gle-day reported deaths so
far on Tuesday as the virus
claimed the lives of 21
Oregonians, followed by
20 more deaths reported
on Wednesday and 15 on
Thanksgiving day.
As of Friday, 66
people in Oregon died of
COVID-19 since the start
of the week, raising the
statewide death toll to 885.
Super spread
Union County recorded
85 new cases between
Sunday, Nov. 22, and
Friday, Nov. 27, after
gaining 107 the week
before. Total cases in the
county have risen more
than 56% since the start
of November, and the total
number of cases since
the pandemic began now
stands at 771.
More than one in three
cases in Union County
during the pandemic
have been recorded in
November alone.
According to the
weekly COVID-19 report
from OHA released
Wednesday, outbreaks
continue to affect Union
County. Wildfl ower Lodge
Assisted Living Commu-
nity’s oubreak grew from
36 to 48 cases, while the
workplace outbreak at
Grande Ronde Hospital
gained two new cases,
rising to eight total.
However, CHD has
repeatedly warned a sig-
nifi cant number of the
cases in Union County are
attributable to commu-
nity spread and cannot be
traced back to a known
source.
“Case counts continue
to increase and many
people who test positive
are not sure how or where
they became infected.
Because of this, taking
precautions to protect
yourself and reduce the
spread of COVID-19 are
vital,” CHD stated in a
press release.
Between Nov. 18-26,
Oregon did not go a single
day without reporting at
least 1,000 new cases of
COVID-19 and has thrice
exceeded 1,500, including
on Thanksgiving day
when the state reported
1,514. OHA reported 826
Phil Wright/The Observer
Brother Bear Cafe in downtown La Grande remains open
for takeout Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, under the “freeze” man-
date to stop the spread of COVID-19.
cases Friday, but said that
was likely an undercount
due to the Thanksgiving
holiday.
More than 12.5 mil-
lion Americans — 70,832
of them Oregonians —
have tested positive for
COVID-19 through the
course of the pandemic.
Relief and suffering
During a press confer-
ence with the governor on
Wednesday, OHA Director
Patrick Allen announced
Oregon could expect to
see the fi rst doses of a
COVID-19 vaccine some-
time in December.
“We will prioritize
the fi rst doses for front-
line health care workers,
then as we receive more
shipments we will expand
eligibility to vulnerable
populations like nursing
homes, people with devel-
opmental disabilities,
essential workers, and then
to the wider population,”
Allen said.
While the promise of a
vaccine in the near future
puts a possible end to the
pandemic in sight, that
end likely remains distant.
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has yet to
grant an emergency use
authorization for a vac-
cine, and Robert Redfi eld,
director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Pre-
vention, has said publicly
a vaccine likely won’t be
widely available to the
general population until at
least March.
Allen acknowledged
the negative impact
COVID-19 has had on
Oregonians’ mental and
behavioral health, citing
a CDC survey from mid-
July that found more than
50% of adult Oregonians
were experiencing symp-
toms of depression and
anxiety.
Substance use also has
increased, Allen said,
noting that in March
sales of cannabis prod-
ucts spiked by nearly 40%,
and sales at liquor stores
almost doubled. Allen
also said Oregonians were
delaying or foregoing med-
ical care for four or more
weeks at a rate of roughly
4 in 10 in October, and
requests for assistance
with housing and food
insecurity issues have
sharply increased during
the pandemic.
“The hard reality is
this,” Allen said, “there
is no normal while the
virus rages unchecked
and the touchpoints of
daily life — going shop-
ping, having dinner out
with your friends, working
out — could make you
sick. There is no healthy
economy while COVID-19
circulates widely in public
places.”
Staying frozen
Brown announced
in a press conference
Wednesday afternoon
that the state would adopt
a new “data driven”
approach to COVID-19
restrictions. Under the new
approach, 21 Oregon coun-
ties met metrics that would
categorize them as experi-
encing “extreme risk,” the
most severe of four catego-
ries. Union, Baker, Grant
and Umatilla counties all
fell into the extreme risk
category.
“It’s been a long year
— and one that has been
exceptionally challenging
for Oregonians,” Brown
said. “Not only have we
been dealing with this pan-
demic, we also suffered
through a heartbreaking
and historic wildfi re
season. So many fami-
lies have lost so much this
year. Unfortunately, now,
more than ever, is the time
we must double down on
our efforts to stop COVID
from spreading.”
The OHA plans to
reevaluate the situation
in each county again on
Monday, Nov. 30, mea-
suring their status against
predetermined metrics
that vary depending on the
county’s size.
Counties with a popu-
lation of less than 30,000,
such as Union County, are
categorized as extreme
risk if 60 or more cases
are reported in that county
over a two-week period.
Union County had 85
cases between Sunday and
Friday and 107 the week
before.
As counties move from
extreme risk into lower
categories, restrictions
become less stringent.
However, even low-risk
counties, where restric-
tions are least severe, are
limited to gatherings of no
more than 10 people, faith
institutions are capped at
75% capacity and indoor
dining at eating and
drinking establishments
is cut to 50% capacity,
among other things.
LOOSEN
Continued from Page 1A
many of Brown’s restric-
tions will end in Oregon
counties that haven’t
been as hard hit by the
coronavirus.
But most of Brown’s
restrictions likely will
remain in place Dec. 3 in
21 counties — including
Union, Baker and Umatilla
counties. The governor has
deemed these counties at
“extreme risk” of rampant
viral spread. The restric-
tions overall, however,
won’t be as stringent.
Among the new, lighter
restrictions: Outdoor dining
will be allowed at bars and
restaurants, and large reli-
gious institutions will be
able to quadruple their
indoor gathering sizes.
Brown is easing many
public health safety mea-
sures despite the wors-
ening COVID-19 crisis in
Oregon. The governor has
fi elded public criticism and
been under intense pres-
sure from industry groups
— including in the form
of a lawsuit — to ease her
restrictions ever since she
announced them earlier this
month. The restrictions are
part of a two-week state-
wide freeze that is in effect
Nov. 18 through Dec. 2.
On Nov. 13, the day
Brown announced the
two-week freeze, new
daily cases of the coro-
navirus were averaging a
record-setting 900 per day
in Oregon. Wednesday, the
coronavirus’ spread had
only continued to balloon,
with Oregon averaging
more than 1,250 cases per
a day.
In response to a report-
er’s question, Brown said
the freeze wasn’t meant for
ends of the season will be
open only to season pass
holders as Anthony Lakes
determines the number of
people it can safely have
on the mountain. Then the
resort will open up for day
tickets sales, selling a lim-
ited number each day to
ensure they stay within the
mandated capacity.
Several local lodging
and small business have
partnered with Anthony
Lakes in an effort to sup-
port one another during
the pandemic and are
giving out vouchers to be
used at the ski resort.
“Everyone is feeling
this, not just us,” Johnson
said. “We’re in a posi-
tion where, yeah, we’re
going to take a huge hit,
but we’ve set ourselves up
to be able to survive one
winter like this.… We’re
setting aside 20 tickets
each day for anyone who
shows up with a receipt
from a locally owned
small business, ideally a
restaurant or a retail shop,
for $40 or more.”
While the COVID-19
pandemic has upended
almost every aspect
of daily life, Johnson
reminded people that
fi nding recreational
and exercise outlets is
important, saying, “if we
were any other business, it
would make sense not to
open this year,” but he felt
it was necessary to pro-
vide a safe way for people
to get outside.
the “long haul.”
“It is not a sustainable
place for Oregon to be in,”
Brown said. “I’m in the
business of frankly saving
lives, but also preserving
livelihoods. And moving
forward with these metrics,
what we are trying to do is
balance both things.”
Brown also acknowl-
edged it didn’t seem right
to heavily restrict Oregon
counties, such as Wallowa
County, that haven’t seen
many infections relative to
the rest of the state.
“A one-size-fi ts-all
approach did not make
sense moving forward,”
Brown said.
Starting Dec. 3,
“extreme risk” counties
will fall under the fol-
lowing rules:
• Brown will allow
restaurants and bars to
reopen for outdoor dining
only. Capacity will be lim-
ited to 50 people per estab-
lishment, and group size
to six people. State public
health offi cials are strongly
encouraging take-out.
• Gyms will be allowed
to lead outdoor fi tness
activities. Capacity will be
limited to 50 people out-
doors, per establishment.
• Religious organiza-
tions will be able to hold
services at 25% capacity
or with up to 100 people
indoors, whichever results
in a smaller number. Out-
doors, up to 150 people
will be allowed to gather.
Brown’s restrictions under
the two-week statewide
freeze limit faith-based
organization to gather-
ings of no more than 25
people indoors or 50 people
outdoors.
• Social get-togethers
will continue to be limited
to six total people, with a
recommendation that no
more than two households
gather at a time.
• Grocery stores, retails
stores and malls will be
limited to 50% capacity.
Currently, stores are lim-
ited to 75% capacity, which
has worried some health
experts given that Black
Friday and the crowds
of shoppers it typically
attracts fall under the 75%
capacity limit and not
the upcoming 50% limit.
When it does go into effect
a week into the holiday
shopping season, this new
restriction will mark one
area where Brown is tight-
ening requirements.
Multnomah County
was supposed to be under
a four-week freeze, set to
expire in mid-December.
But Brown’s newly revised
plan will replace that
freeze.
Public health offi cials
will use COVID-19 num-
bers for Monday, Nov. 30,
to determine which coun-
ties fall into the “extreme
risk” category and the
most aggressive restric-
tions. Currently, public
health offi cials estimate
that will be about 21 of
Oregon’s 36 counties.
Other counties will
be deemed “high risk,”
“moderate risk” and
“lower risk” — and they
will face varying degrees
of lesser restrictions.
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