SEPTEMBER 3, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
all Oregon schools to wear masks
indoors, and mandating K-12 teachers
and school employees get vaccinated
against COVID.
Well-fi tted, double-layered masks
remain important, Nolt said, despite
the pushback from some parents and
educators who are opposed. A com-
mon refrain from people opposed to
masks is that the virus is too small to be
trapped by a cloth mask, but Nolt said
the mask is intended to capture drop-
lets, and can do so eff ectively.
“The virus particle itself is super
small, but it's carried by this lovely,
juicy liquid. And that is bigger than the
mask openings. That's what we're try-
ing to capture, not the virus,” she said.
Chunhuei Chi, director of the Center
for Global Health at Oregon State
University, agreed examples from other
countries show schools can reopen
safely, but he said the increased trans-
missibility of the Delta variant means
precautions become more important.
While kids are unlikely to become
seriously ill, preventing them from get-
ting infected at all still matters, because
they can carry the virus home and may
infect vulnerable relatives.
“We have to be extra careful,” he
said. Like Nolt, he said masking and
vaccination for adults interacting with
students are important, as well as good
ventilation inside buildings.
He said schools should keep win-
dows open whenever possible, use
HEPA air fi lters and hold lunch outside
if they’re able so students unmasking
to eat are less likely to breathe in any
virus.
Cherriots adds Sunday Service and
reduces weekday service by 20%
JOEY CAPPELLETTI
Of the Keizertimes
Changes are coming to the Cherriots
Local bus service, with a Sunday Service
being added and weekday service being
temporarily reduced by 20%.
Good news fi rst: Cherriots announced
on Aug. 13 that for the fi rst time in their
history, the bus service would be operat-
ing on Sundays.
“This will be the fi rst time in
Cherriots’ 42 years that we will off er
Sunday service. To say this is a big deal
would be an understatement,” Cherriots
Board President Ian Davidson wrote
on Twitter the day the service was
announced.
As if the added service wasn’t good
enough news, Cherriots also announced
that Sunday rides would be free for all of
September.
The Sunday Service will operate
on 12 of their 20 local routes and most
routes will run every 60-minutes from 8
a.m. to 8 p.m.
“While there is less frequency and
fewer of the routes, it’s great whenever
we can add any service other than just
weekdays,” said Cherriots spokesperson
Patricia Feeny.
While
weekend
service
will
be expanding, weekday service is
WHAT’S OLD
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temporarily being reduced, Cherriots
announced Aug. 27. Beginning Aug. 30,
Cherriots Local service began operating
at about 80% of its normal level.
“The same routes will be off ered but
it’s just a matter of whether you will be
waiting 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an
hour for a ride,” said Feeny. “Always look
at the route beforehand. During peak
commute hours in the morning and eve-
ning, you will have the same times. But
during the day when we don’t have as
many people, it’s less.”
Staffi ng shortages are to blame for
the reduced service, Cherriots said in its
press release.
Ten Cherriots staff members have
also tested positive for COVID, accord-
ing to Feeny, which has aff ected the
number of available drivers.
The temporary service is scheduled
to last for at least a week, at which point
offi cials will revisit the issue to decide
what to do going forward.