FROM PAGE ONE
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021
RISK
Continued from Page 1A
it means Union County’s
public health situation is
improving. She said lower
infection rates mean there
is less stress on Grande
Ronde Hospital, La Grande,
and other local health care
facilities.
Union County Com-
missioner Donna Bev-
erage said she is delighted
because being in the the
lower risk category will
assist merchants.
“I’m super happy for
businesses,” Beverage
said, noting she hopes
this will help merchants
recover from some of the
losses they suff ered in
2020 due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
The county commis-
sioner said she believes
falling infection rates are
due to people following
social distancing rules and
wearing masks.
“They are respectful of
each other,” Beverage said.
Cody Guentert, the
owner of Brother Bear
Cafe, a business on Adams
Avenue, La Grande, said
one of the aspects of the
lower risk level he wel-
comes is allowing up to
eight people to sit at a table
together indoors at restau-
rants. The current max-
imum is six people at a
table and, he said, can
create awkward situations.
He noted recently his
family was celebrating a
birthday in a local restau-
rant, but the party of eight
had to sit at separate tables
because of the six-person
limit.
Guentert also said he
likes how the lower risk
limit category allows people
from up to four households
to gather in homes, double
the current limit of two
houses. He said this will
make it easier for more than
just families to be together.
He feels good overall about
the county’s switch to lower
risk.
“I’m happy,” he said.
“This is exciting.”
Arturo Escamilla,
co-owner of Raul’s
Taqueria, said being in
the lower risk category
will help his La Grande
restaurant.
“I’m happy that we are
moving forward,” Esca-
milla said.
Sue Memmott, the man-
ager of Globe Furniture, La
Grande, joined the chorus
of cheer.
“It will put smiles on
people’s faces. We are
moving in the right direc-
tion,” Memmott said.
John Howard, the owner
of John J. Howard and
Associates Real Estate,
said he believes the drop
in infection rates is due in
large part to the number of
people who have been vac-
cinated in Union County.
He said the development
of COVID-19 vaccines is
an enormous credit to the
many people who took part
in vaccine testing trials.
“They are the real
heroes,” the La Grande
business owner said.
Howard urged everyone
to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
He said he cannot under-
stand why some people are
reluctant, considering vac-
cinations have been suc-
cessful in stopping the
spread of dreaded diseases,
including measles, polio
and chicken pox.
While Union County
joins Wallowa County and
eight others in the lower
risk group, COVID-19
infections are rising in
Oregon, putting two-thirds
of all counties into what, for
now, is the highest possible
level of restrictions.
The new county risk
levels include nearly a
dozen special waivers under
COUNTY RISK LEVELS BEGINNING FRIDAY, APRIL 23
Linn*
Marion*
Multnomah
Polk* (moved from
moderate)
Tillamook
Wasco (moved from
lower)
Washington (moved
from moderate)
Yamhill (moved from
lower)
Extreme risk (0)*
*This county qualifi es
for extreme risk but
is placed at High Risk
because the statewide
hospitalization trigger
for Extreme Risk was
not met.
lower)
Benton
Clackamas*
Clatsop (moved from
moderate)
Columbia* (moved
from moderate)
Coos
Crook* (moved from
lower)
Deschutes*
Douglas
Jackson*
Jeff erson (moved from
lower)
Josephine*
Klamath*
Lane (moved from
lower)
Lincoln
Lower risk (10)
Gilliam
Grant
Harney
Lake
Malheur
Morrow
Sherman
Union (moved from
moderate)
Wallowa
Wheeler
Moderate risk (3)
Curry (moved from
high)
Hood River (moved
from lower)
Umatilla
High risk (23)
Baker* (moved from
Brown to keep counties
from going into the most
severe set of restrictions on
activities, businesses and
events.
Brown said the waivers
are possible because of
advances in vaccination
numbers and a drop in
severe cases of COVID-19,
along with fewer deaths.
But she said new vari-
ants that are able to morph
inside infected bodies could
prove a future challenge.
Some of the variants have
been shown to be more con-
tagious and lethal than the
version that appeared in
the United States early last
year.
Brown stressed vacci-
nations are the best way
to protect yourself and
others from the variants
and the increased spread of
COVID-19.
“Until you, your family,
your friends, and your
neighbors are fully vacci-
nated, it’s also critical that
we all continue to wear
masks, maintain physical
distance, and stay home
when sick,” the governor
said.
The measure of new
cases, cases per 100,000
people and positive test rate
determine the risk levels.
As the levels rise, so does
the severity of limits on
activities, events, dining
and shopping.
But a mandate from
Brown is keeping 11 coun-
ties from going into the
extreme risk category even
if the county level data sug-
gests they should be. On
April 6, she ordered that
no county would be put in
extreme risk if the state-
wide number of hospital-
ized COVID-19 patients
remained under 300 and
didn’t rise by more than
15% in a week.
With 25% of state resi-
dents immunized, including
75% of those 70 and older,
the upswing in infections
hasn’t always been followed
by increases in hospitaliza-
tions and deaths.
The Oregon Health
Authority reported April
20 that 270 people are hos-
pitalized with COVID-19
in Oregon, below the
threshold.
That means residents of
the 11 counties don’t have
to go all the way back to the
harshest curbs of the pan-
demic — they top out at
the rules associated with
the high risk level. The
counties are Baker, Clack-
amas, Columbia, Crook,
Deschutes, Jackson, Jose-
phine, Klamath, Linn,
Marion and Polk.
Under an earlier plan
adopted by Brown, counties
that moved to a lower risk
level only to boomerang
back up were held at the
lower level of restrictions
and given two weeks to get
their virus numbers back
down.
Three Eastern Oregon
counties were listed at risk
levels lower than their num-
bers would suggest: Uma-
tilla County will remain
at moderate risk instead of
moving to high risk. Grant
County will stay at lower
risk instead of high risk.
Malheur County will stay at
lower risk instead of mod-
erate risk.
Brown’s cap only
extends to the extreme
level. Seven counties moved
from either lower or mod-
erate to high. All will have
to follow the stricter guide-
lines that go with their new
risk level status.
Amid the stampede of
counties moving to higher
risk levels, Curry County
went from high to mod-
erate, joining Union County
with dropping infection
numbers leading to a drop
in restrictions.
The rising county num-
bers refl ect statewide statis-
tics. Oregon recorded 8,276
cases between April 4-17.
The statewide measure of
cases per 100,000 residents
is 195.4 and the test posi-
tivity rate is 5.1%
For comparison, if
Oregon were a county, it
would be on the lip between
high and extreme risk level
ratings. For larger coun-
ties, 200 cases and above
per 100,000 people is the
trigger for an extreme level
rating. The test positivity
is just slightly above the
highest rate the state has
said will keep the infection
rate fl at.
The next risk level
adjustment will be
announced May 4 and take
eff ect May 7.
Updates are posted to
coronavirus.oregon.gov.
— Gary A. Warner with
the Oregon Capital Bureau
contributed to this report.
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Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Maaike Schotborgh, right, Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative’s safety and loss control manager, answers ques-
tions Tuesday, April 20, 2021, from Greenwood Elementary students during a career and safety training day
at the La Grande school.
CAREER
Continued from Page 1A
fi res and save lives.
“An ambulance is a
small emergency room,”
La Grande fi refi ghter
Kyle Wattenburg told the
students.
Fire Capt. Robert Tib-
betts told the Greenwood
students the life of a fi re-
fi ghter is rewarding, but
also taxing and requires
sacrifi ces. He told the stu-
dents fi refi ghters at the La
Grande Fire Department
work 48-hour shifts and
then are off four days.
“That means you are
away from you family one-
third of your life,” Tibbetts
said.
Tibbetts said there
are often long stretches
in which fi refi ghters get
little if any shuteye. For
example, on Monday, April
19, the fi re department
responded to 22 calls.
“The crew on duty did
not get any sleep that day,”
he said.
The La Grande Fire
Department captain said
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
La Grande Fire Department Capt. Robert Tibbetts gives a tour of Engine
46 to students at Greenwood Elementary School, La Grande,l during a
career day on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
he welcomed the chance to
participate in the career-
safety fair.
“It is great to be able
to do this for the commu-
nity and the kids,” Tibbetts
said.
Donna Rainboth, the
La Grande School Dis-
trict’s science, tech-
nology, engineering and
mathematics coach, said
one of the best things
about the career and
safety day is showing
students there are excel-
lent career opportuni-
ties in the Grande Ronde
Valley. She praised the
participants making pre-
sentations for providing
insightful descriptions of
their occupations.
“The students,” Rain-
both said, “really got see
what their jobs are like.”