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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 2021)
A4 THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, JANuARy 5, 2021 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher DERRICK DePLEDGE Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager GUEST COLUMN Oregon needs clarity, trust and health M y wish for Oregon in 2021 boils down to four words: clarity, trust and good health. Oregonians have been whipsawed not only by the pandemic but also by the state’s leadership. Gov. Kate Brown’s disastrous Fri- day evening press conference in March with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Commission Chair Deborah Kafoury was a harbinger of what was to come. 2020 was such a nutty year that Brown never even deliv- DICK ered the annual State of HUGHES the State address. To be fair, these are the toughest of times to be an elected leader, whether at the national, state or local levels. But these also are the times for which we elect leadership — the abil- ities to respond confidently, effectively and consistently to the unexpected and unpredicted. Oregonians have been confused and frustrated by the shifting metrics and pol- icies for evaluating the state’s progress against the coronavirus. Last month, Brown abruptly reversed course and dropped state requirements for reopening schools. Those rules were con- sidered among the nation’s most strin- gent. Brown, who caught many people off guard, was following the lead of Washing- ton state. Some research indicates that schools, especially in the youngest grades, are not high risk for spreading coronavirus — if students, staff and families strictly follow the health protocols. That raises a question that continues to befuddle Oregonians: How can health officials have data indicating that schools might reopen safely but not have data on coronavirus transmission in restaurants, bars, gyms, churches and other indoor places? I put that question to the Oregon Health Authority on the same day Brown made her school announcement, asking: “Is there specific information for specifi- cally how much various activities contrib- ute to the possible spread of COVID-19? For example, what percentage of cases are attributable to indoor dining, what percentage to gyms, what percentage to churches, what percentage to family gath- erings, etc.? Or, putting it another way, are there statistics for how much various activities increase the likelihood of trans- mitting or contracting the coronavirus?” This was the health authority’s response: “We see overlap between peo- ple who report attendance at social gath- erings across places — in private places and bars/restaurants. Because of this over- lap, we cannot definitively pinpoint where transmission occurs, but there are associ- ations with these social get-togethers. In addition, the percentage of sporadic cases has increased, indicating broader commu- nity spread. “Gyms and fitness centers pose risks because when exercising people breathe Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian A Columbia Memorial Hospital nurse prepares a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in December. heavily, which produces more droplets and aerosols that are potentially infec- tious, and they may sweat on face cov- erings, which can reduce effectiveness of filtration. Restaurants and bars pose risks because people take off their masks to eat and drink, and restaurants tend to be places where people talk more, which produces more droplets and aerosols that are potentially infectious, and many restaurants and bars are smaller spaces.” For the most part, Oregon has taken a one-size-fits-all approach based on county metrics. This creates another question: Excellent air filtration, roomy spaces and enforcement of strict health protocols are key. Though this would be more difficult for the state to implement and manage, why not allow closed businesses to reopen if they demonstrate they have those keys in place? As a longtime reader wrote in response to last week’s column: “Do you suppose any one of our state politicians, legisla- tive or executive, will ever have the guts to open restaurants again? I mean for indoor dining. … We need this for our economy AND our sanity! Masks and distancing will make it feasible, if moni- tored inside the restaurants. We don’t need Brown or (Senate President Peter) Court- ney to make it work, just the chance to do it again. We’re civilized enough to make it happen. We the people just need the latitude.” It is worth noting that many school buildings have poor air filtration and cir- culation, and many staff members are in high-risk populations. State Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilson- ville, echoed that concern in writing about Brown’s announcement on school reopen- ings: “While I understand and value the efforts to get children into the classroom as soon as safely possible, I have deep and persistent concerns about the lack of test- ing and contact tracing, inadequate ven- tilation in school buildings and the dis- proportionate health impacts of this virus on our uninsured and underinsured fami- lies who we must consider as we discuss returning to in person learning. “I will continue to advocate for teach- ers and underserved community members to have access to vaccinations, increases in testing and tracing, a focus on the most vulnerable among us, and a reason- able timeline that includes educator, par- ent and student voice. I am surprised that this news was presented to our education community just days into the first break that many educators have had in months.” Which brings us to the issue of trust. Through the then-Chalkboard Proj- ect’s CLASS program and other efforts, some Oregon school districts developed mutually respectful working relation- ships among administrators, teachers and other staff. But in other schools and dis- tricts, the level of mistrust is so high that staff are taking no-confidence votes in the administration and talking of striking over the district’s failure to realistically follow COVID-19 protocols. Similar mistrust exists within the Leg- islature and among some Oregonians toward state government. Brown and oth- ers make the valid point that the pandemic has exacerbated the existing economic, educational and social inequities in Ore- gon. The pandemic also deepened the fault lines of mistrust. Rep. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, wrote in his constituent newsletter on Thursday: “2020 has pushed our col- lective selves, our communities and the businesses that support them to the brink and unfortunately, we’re not in the clear yet. “Thousands are unemployed, and their support system has been riddled with fail- ures. Businesses have been closed, with- out data to support such mandates, while big-box stores are open to the masses. The public has been relatively shut out of the public process of governing this state, which cannot continue into the ‘21 leg- islative session. Legislators and the third branch of government have had little to no input on the mandates and closures.” In his newsletter the previous week, Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, wrote: “At some point these restrictions, like others hampering all our lives, will end. What looks longer lasting is the anger, mis- trust, fear and — much as I’d rather not write this — the hatred with which a sec- tor of Americans have come to hold gov- ernment, and those of us who serve in it. If I have a resolution for 2021, it’s to work diligently with compassionate, patriotic people with different political viewpoints, who share an understanding of how dan- gerous the current moment is for repre- sentative democracy, and a commitment to find a path forward that will keep it secure.” Meanwhile, our knowledge of COVID-19 continues to change and evolve. An item as simple as face masks has gone from being discouraged early in 2020 to now being recognized as one of the most effective ways of preventing transmission of the coronavirus. On the other hand, the nation has a vast oversupply of face shields because uni- versities and companies took up the chal- lenge of manufacturing personal protec- tive equipment. But we know that face shields are an inadequate substitute for face masks. And even wearing a mask does not negate the need for physical dis- tancing, frequent hand-washing and the like. The lack of clarity permeates national and state guidelines. The 6-feet physi- cal distancing rule is arbitrary. So is the guideline against being closer than 6 feet to an infected person for more than 15 minutes during a day. Depending on the circumstances, it may be that corona- virus droplets travel farther well over 6 feet of distance, or far less. A person may become infected in fewer than 15 min- utes, or not at all. Further uncertainty surrounds the long- awaited vaccines. For the life of me (no pun intended), I can’t understand why certain hospitals agreed to wait hours to begin vaccinations in an orchestrated media event with Gov. Brown, rather than starting immediately as Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Ontario did. By the way, though the new vaccines are deemed highly effective in protect- ing people from developing COVID-19 symptoms, it’s unknown whether they stop asymptomatic individuals from trans- mitting the coronavirus. On Thursday, the Oregon Health Authority finally announced who would serve on its 27-member Vaccine Advisory Committee, which will “determine the sequence in which new COVID-19 vac- cines are distributed around the state.” I will get vaccinated when it’s my turn. One family member, who works in federal law enforcement, already has received his first shot. Fatigue was the main side effect. And so, as this new year begins, I wish good health to all Oregonians — physi- cally, mentally, economically, education- ally and socially. Please do your part to stop the coronavirus from spreading to anyone, including you and me. dick Hughes has been covering the Oregon political scene since 1976. THE LACK OF CLARITy PERMEATES NATIONAL ANd STATE GuIdELINES. THE 6-FEET PHySICAL dISTANCING RuLE IS ARBITRARy. SO IS THE GuIdELINE AGAINST BEING CLOSER THAN 6 FEET TO AN INFECTEd PERSON FOR MORE THAN 15 MINuTES duRING A dAy. dEPENdING ON THE CIRCuMSTANCES, IT MAy BE THAT CORONAVIRuS dROPLETS TRAVEL FARTHER WELL OVER 6 FEET OF dISTANCE, OR FAR LESS. A PERSON MAy BECOME INFECTEd IN FEWER THAN 15 MINuTES, OR NOT AT ALL. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Thank you T his is a thank you to all of those who, when driving, use their turn sig- nals, stop at stop signs, don’t fly by going 5, 10, 15-plus mph over the limit and leave handicapped parking to the truly handicapped. And to those who are are respectful, considerate, kind, caring and helpful to others, and show thanks to those who are going above and beyond in these difficult times. Who are decent, willing to think of others before themselves. Who are aware of the thousands of Americans who are dying, not on fields of foreign wars, but right here on their native soil. We’re all tired and frustrated by the constraints put upon us, not by our leaders, but our own refusal to simply do as we’re being asked to do. We are better than this, I know we are. I believe in the greatness that is this country — a country built upon the sacri- fices of those who’ve gone before us. Who gave freely of themselves. Personally, I’m going to honor them by doing my part, as best I can. As a patriot, it’s the least I can do. My resolve has never been stronger. Will you join me? To all of you who continue to show empathy and consideration for your friends, neighbors and your communities daily, thank you. NANCY GLARUM Warrenton Surprising occurrence ’m writing about a surprising occur- rence that was reported recently in The New York Times. It turns out that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, of New York, and Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republi- can, of Texas, agreed on something. That something was the fact that the COVID-19 spending bill, which com- prises 5,593 (yes, 5,593) pages, was writ- ten entirely by a few select congressper- sons and staff, was not reviewed by the majority of the Congress, and was pre- sented for a vote with not more than a few hours for any discussion whatsoever. The original Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which contained the first pandemic stim- ulus measures, was 335 pages long. It I appears that the most recent spending bill contains everything but the kitchen sink. If our representatives in Congress get only two hours to review a nearly 6,000- page document before voting on it up or down, it is, thus, no small wonder that ordinary citizens feel disconnected and disenfranchised from government. BARRY PLOTKIN Astoria
