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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2020)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 Tracing: ‘Decision was not taken lightly’ Continued from Page A1 The Astorian has reported that a similar dispute played out in May after an outbreak at Pacifi c Seafood. “OHA and Clatsop County Public Health see the response in a little different way of how we would handle it versus how they would,” Michael McNickle, the coun- ty’s public health director, said. The health authority will conduct the rest of the inter- views with workers at Pacifi c Seafood with the help of an interpreter. The workers from Moldova speak Romanian. McNickle said the health authority decided to allow workers identifi ed as contacts to go between the plant and the rental housing where they are living in a cohort, while limiting their interaction with other workers and with the community. The county said the local offi ce of the state Depart- ment of Human Services will provide any wraparound services. “This decision was not taken lightly, and it is a joint decision because of the nature and size of this potential out- break,” McNickle said. County Commissioner Mark Kujala, who represents Warrenton on the Board of Commissioners, was crit- ical of Pacifi c Seafood’s approach. “Clatsop County’s got to be able to do their job and they need to do it in a timely manner because that’s what contact tracing is all about. You do it right away and you can limit the amount of expo- sure that someone that might be infected (and) doesn’t know it has in the commu- nity. That was our goal from the very beginning,” he said. “And I think we had some real disagreements about exactly what the quarantine means. And I think we also didn’t quite understand how you could cohort and con- tinue to work before you have contact trace or an interview or complete an investigation. So those are some, I think, fundamental issues. “And I believe the Oregon Health Authority believes the same as we did and felt that we were right in our position. And then I think that they kind of backed off of that and have kind of modifi ed that position.” In May, an outbreak at Pacifi c Seafood in Warrenton was tied to 15 coronavirus cases, 11 workers and four contacts. Another outbreak at Bornstein Seafoods in Astoria was linked to 23 local cases, 19 workers and four contacts. The two outbreaks make up the bulk of local virus cases during the pandemic. An outbreak at Pacifi c Seafood plants in Newport reported in June was tied to 180 cases, according to the Oregon Health Authority, the second-largest workplace cluster in the state after the Oregon State Penitentiary. “We certainly don’t want to stop people from working and we care about our busi- nesses here in Warrenton,” Kujala said. “But we sim- ply wanted to get this con- tact tracing and investigation completed and feel confi dent that everything that we’re get- ting provided from the com- pany is verifi ed before going back as business as usual, knowing that we’ve had two outbreaks already. “And knowing that there’s a major one in Newport that had ramifi cations far beyond the plant itself.” Disclosure Pacifi c Seafood publicly disclosed the new case on Fri- day after being contacted by The Astorian. The seafood processor said it was notifi ed on June 29 that a new hire tested pos- itive. According to the com- pany, the worker was at the Warrenton plant for one shift completing orientation. John King, the general manager at the plant, said in a statement that the orienta- tions are in compliance with Oregon and federal Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and include “physical distancing, extra sanitation and full per- sonal protective equipment, including face coverings, plastic face shields, smocks and gloves. “We continue to complete daily health screening and temperature checks for all team members.” ‘... WE ALL HAVE TO REALLY REALIZE THE MULTIPLE LAYERS THAT HAVE TO BECOME ALIGNED TO REALLY PROTECT THE PUBLIC.’ Don Bohn | county manager The company said work- ers who are part of the H-2B program are tested for the virus after arriving in the United States. “Pacifi c Seafood has invested signifi cant resources to develop strict programs and protocols that exceed federal CDC guidelines for essen- tial businesses when it comes to our H-2B visa workers,” King said. “All incoming H-2B workers are tested for COVID immediately upon arrival in the United States, a standard that is not required but we believe is in the best interests of our team and local communities. “The workers were tested by Signature Health in Port- land at our expense.” The Astorian has pressed the county Public Health Department to disclose more information about virus cases, particularly details that might help explain who is at most risk for exposure when positive cases are announced. The Public Health Depart- ment had disclosed on June 30 that a man in his 40s liv- ing in the northern part of the county tested positive for the virus, but did not identify him as a Pacifi c Seafood worker. County leaders said Friday they did not mention Pacifi c Seafood for medical privacy reasons, and that it was up to the company to disclose the information. ‘Uncharted waters’ County Manager Don Bohn said on Friday that addressing potential out- breaks at food processors is a partnership between the county, the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the businesses. The Department of Agriculture oversees food processors. “This has been unchar- tered waters since March,” Bohn said of the county’s response to the pandemic. “We have an amazing pub- lic health staff who is doing yeoman’s work to respond to the positive cases, as well as doing everything that they can to do public education and outreach. “And I think the county has done a very good job of managing that. But, you know, we all have to really realize the multiple layers that have to become aligned to really protect the public. “And that requires indi- viduals to do their part. That requires businesses to do their part. It requires the availabil- ity of all of the equipment and PPE. There’s just so many different layers to this. “And so, what all of us know in this pandemic is that we need to rely upon each other to do our part. And so that’s what we’re work- ing on right now with the state to make sure the state and the county are of a sin- gle mind about how we’re going to handle these essen- tial businesses to make sure that as they do their work, that we still can protect the community. “And that is still a work in progress.” Warrenton Mayor Henry Balensifer said it is common practice for seafood process- ing plants to hire workers from other states and coun- tries. He has suggested new operational guidance for the plants and potentially limit- ing outside workers. “There was a workforce shortage before COVID and it doesn’t seem like a lot of people jumping to go work for the plants,” he said. “I trust that they will be tak- ing all measures of precau- tion, both at the feds and the state to ensure they are tested and allowed to come into the states and aren’t a health risk. “And if they don’t, I’ll have some pointed questions to ask.” WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 CORONAVIRUS RELIEF Money for small businesses given to larger companies By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and JOYCE M. ROSENBERG Associated Press WASHINGTON — The government on Monday identifi ed roughly 650,000 mostly small businesses and nonprofi ts that received tax- payer money from a program that likely helped prevent the job market meltdown from growing worse but that also benefi ted some politically connected fi rms. Recipients covered a broad swath of industries, with some that were less directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, such as manufacturing and con- struction, receiving a greater proportion of the loans than the hard-hit restaurant, bar and hotel industries. Many law fi rms and private equity companies also obtained loans. Businesses owned by pol- iticians also borrowed from the Treasury Department’s Payroll Protection Program, including a minor league baseball team owned by the family of the governor of Ohio. A large franchisee of Wendy’s, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants, whose CEO is a major donor to President Donald Trump, received loans totaling between $15 and $30 million. The program launched April 3 and as of June 30 had handed out $521 billion. The Treasury identifi ed just a fraction of the total borrow- ers Monday, naming only those companies that got more than $150,000. Those fi rms made up less than 15% of the nearly 5 million small companies and organizations that received loans. Economists generally credit the program with help- ing prevent the job market meltdown from being much worse. Employers added THE PROGRAM LAUNCHED APRIL 3 AND AS OF JUNE 30 HAD HANDED OUT $521 BILLION. But the program was only intended to carry the econ- omy through a short inter- ruption from the coronavi- rus pandemic, which is now threatening to have a lon- ger-lasting impact. The Trea- sury initially required the loans to be spent within eight weeks of being received, though that was later length- ened to 24 weeks. Many small businesses have already run through their paycheck program money and still face sharply smaller demand, as consum- ers remain wary of returning to their older habits of shop- ping, visiting gyms, or eat- ing out. Texas, Florida, Cal- ifornia, New York and others have reversed their reopen- ings, closing down bars and delaying the onset of indoor dining. “The biggest issue is that PPP is short-term help,” said Adam Ozimek, chief econ- omist at Upwork, a free- lancing platform. “And now we’re dealing with a mid to long-term problem.” A survey by the National Federation of Indepen- dent Business found that as of mid-June, 14% of small businesses that borrowed from the paycheck program expected they would have to lay off some workers when their loan ran out. The paycheck program provided loans of up to $10 million for small busi- nesses to help them recover from the government-or- dered shutdowns and rev- enue losses caused by the virus outbreak. The average loan amount for the entire program was $107,000, the Treasury Department said in a broad summary of the program. The loans can be forgiven if the businesses mostly use the money to continue pay- ing their workers. The pro- gram initially was set to expire June 30 but was extended last week to Aug. 8, with $132 billion still available. The recipients employed 51 million people before the pandemic began, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, or about 85% of all workers at companies with fewer than 500 employees. The government won’t know how many of these jobs were actually saved until compa- nies apply to have the loans forgiven, a process that is just beginning. A senior administration offi cial said Monday that some small companies “will need additional support” in the coming months. The public may never know the identity of more than 80% of the nearly 5 million benefi ciaries to date because the administration has refused to release details on loans under $150,000. Thank You! Assistance League of the Columbia Pacific® (ALCP), decided it was, unfortunately, necessary to cancel one of our major fundraising events in May which would have been our 13th annual Golf Ball Drop event. There is nothing more important than appreciating the people and businesses who supported our efforts to put this event together. We want to take this time to thank all the donors that contributed to the Golf Ball Drop prior to its cancellation and they are listed below: Ft. George 14th Street Cafe High Life Adventures Silver Salmon Fulio’s Forsythea Westport Winery T-Paul’s Urban Cafe Bruce’s Candy Kitchen Maritime Museum Bridgewater Bistro Luminari Arts Nov. 12, 1934 - Mar. 29, 2020 7.5 million jobs in May and June, a solid increase though it left the economy with nearly 15 million fewer jobs than before the pandemic. The paycheck program prob- ably drove some of that gain. And research by Tomaz Cajner, an economist at the Federal Reserve, and seven colleagues found that com- panies with fewer than 50 workers before the pandemic saw their hiring rise 12% in May, while jobs grew just 5% in larger fi rms, suggest- ing the paycheck program helped fuel rehiring. Gypsy Sally Yoga River’s Zen AAA Escape Lodging Martin North Waves Motel CB Finnware The Sweet Shop Englund Marine Fitness 1440 Josephson’s Smokehouse Pacific Power • US Bank • Columbia River Bar Pilots Astoria Golf & Country Club • Warrenton KIA TLC/Fibre Federal July 12, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Alston Pub & Grub 25196 Alston Rd Rainier, OR Thank you so very much for your continuing support! We cannot do what we do without your help. Assistance League of the Columbia Pacific is a non-profit, all volunteer organization whose philanthropic programs promote the well-being and self-esteem of children and teens throughout Clatsop County. Transforming Lives • Strengthening Community To learn more or get involved, please visit www.assistanceleague.org
