A8
OREGON
East Oregonian
OREGON BRIEFING
Bid to have vote on
Brown’s emergency
powers fails
SALEM — Members of
the Oregon House narrowly
defeated a move on Tuesday,
May 4, to consider a bill that
would give the Oregon Legisla-
ture oversight of the governor’s
emergency powers, enacted
most recently to address the
coronavirus pandemic.
The motion by Rep. Rick
Lewis, R-Silverton, who along
with a Democrat is one of the
two chief sponsors of the bill,
to pull the bill from the rules
committee and fast-track a
House floor vote was defeated
with 28 votes against and 27 in
favor.
Several Democrats were
among those in favor, as were
all Republicans who were pres-
ent. The other chief co-sponsor
of the bill is Rep. Marty Wilde,
D-Eugene.
The House Republican
caucus said in a statement after
the vote that it wants “to make
the governor accountable to the
Legislature.”
The bill requires that decla-
rations and extensions of states
of emergency under certain
statutes be accompanied by
written explanations. It also
provides that, after termina-
tion of a state of emergency,
the governor may not declare
another state of emergency for
the same purpose unless the
Legislature authorizes it.
In its statement, the Repub-
lican caucus complained that
Gov. Kate Brown, in unilater-
ally extending her own emer-
gency powers, has “the ability
to issue shutdowns without
involving another governing
body.”
The bill remains alive in
the rules committee, where
the committee chair can sched-
ule it for a public hearing at
any time before the end of the
session.
Man pleads guilty to
cashing aunt’s Social
Security checks
KLAMATH FALLS — A
Klamath Falls man pleaded
guilty to theft of government
funds after collecting more
than $458,000 of his aunt’s
Social Security checks for
years after she died.
Investigators began moni-
toring George Doumar in
February 2020 after the Social
Security Administration iden-
tified a 114-year-old woman
who was still receiving bene-
fits, a statement from the U.S.
Attorney’s Office said. Pros-
ecutors said that would have
made her the second-oldest
person in the country receiv-
ing them.
The last update to her record
was a 1989 address change to
Klamath Falls, prosecutors
said. Her nieces told investi-
gators they remembered her
dying in the 1960s or 1970s and
that they attended her funeral
in New York, where she had
lived for her entire life.
Investigators obtained a
copy of her death certificate
saying she died on March 7,
1971, in Brooklyn. They also
found that Doumar collected
Social Security to the same
Klamath Falls address and
he had added his aunt to the
checking account he shared
with his wife.
When asked about his aunt,
Doumar sighed and said it
was a long story but that he
had been collecting her Social
Security, prosecutors said.
As part of his plea agree-
ment Doumar, 74, has agreed
to pay back the money to the
Social Security Administra-
tion.
Man wanted for
deaths of two in
burning car arrested
ALBANY — A Cave Junc-
tion man wanted in connection
with the deaths of two people
whose bodies were found in
a burned car was arrested on
Monday, May 3, Oregon State
Police said.
Police said Michael Moeh-
ring was arrested in Linn
County without incident at an
Interstate 5 rest area by person-
nel from multiple agencies,
The Albany Democrat-Herald
reported.
He is facing two counts of
murder, two counts of abuse
of a corpse, arson and felon in
possession of a firearm.
The charges stem from the
March 24 discovery of the
bodies of Daniel Hill, 24, and
Paul Folk, 26, in a burning car
in Selma.
The Josephine County
Sheriff’s Office earlier arrested
Harley Boitz in Cave Junction
in connection with the inci-
dent. It wasn’t immediately
known if they have attorneys
to comment.
Businesses challenge
restrictions in suit
against Brown
SALEM — A group of
businesses has filed a lawsuit
against Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown over her recent exten-
sion of Oregon’s state of
emergency because of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Brown last week extended
the state of emergency by 60
days, giving her the authority
to issue restrictions on business
operations, The Oregonian/
OregonLive reported.
Brown said on Tuesday,
May 4, all counties would be
moved out of extreme risk,
ending the ban on indoor
dining by Friday, May 7. It
wasn’t immediately known
how Brown’s announcement
would affect the lawsuit.
The group suing includes
the political action commit-
tees Oregon Moms Union and
Heart of Main Street, as well as
the owner of Gresham restau-
rant Spud Monkeys.
The group objects to “unfair
restrictions” they said Brown
has placed upon businesses and
public school children, accord-
ing to the lawsuit, which was
filed on May 4. They asked the
court to issue an injunction
halting restriction enforce-
ment.
The lawsuit also claimed
Brown’s executive order failed
to differentiate between vacci-
nated and unvaccinated people,
“subjecting all to the same
regulations and deprivations
of liberty.”
Brown’s office did not
immediately respond to a
request for comment from the
newspaper.
Oregon State
University to require
COVID-19 vaccines
CORVALLIS — Oregon
St a t e Un ive r s it y h a s
announced that it will require
COVID-19 vaccinations before
the fall term.
The university in Corval-
lis said on Tuesday, May 4,
students and employees who
study and work on-site at the
university’s locations must be
vaccinated.
“As we advance our plans
to resume traditional on-site
and in-person activities for the
2021-22 academic year, high
rates of vaccination among
our students, faculty and staff
are needed to help improve the
safety and well-being of our
community,” Interim Presi-
dent Becky Johnson said in a
statement.
OSU’s vaccination require-
ment plans were informed by
state and federal guidance
related to vaccines, advice
from public health experts, and
guidance from other organi-
zations, such as the American
College Health Association,
the statement said.
Elsewhere in Oregon, the
University of Portland, Willa-
mette University, and Lewis
and Clark College have also
announced vaccine require-
ments, as has the University of
Washington and Washington
State University.
Nationally, more than
100 colleges and universities
have announced vaccination
requirements for students and/
or employees, according to The
Chronicle of Higher Education.
— Associated Press
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.EastOregonian.com
Thursday, May 6, 2021
Oregon extends COVID-19 workplace
mask, social distancing rule indefinitely
By SARA CLINE
Associated Press/Report
for America
PORTLAND — Oregon
adopted a controversial rule
on Tuesday, May 4, that
indefinitely extends coro-
navirus mask and social
distancing requirements for
all businesses in the state.
State officials say the
rule, which garnered thou-
sands of public comments,
will be in place until it is
“no longer necessary to
address the effects of the
pandemic in the work-
place.”
“We reviewed all of the
comments — including
the many comments that
opposed the rule — and
we gave particular consid-
eration to those comments
that explained their reason-
ing or provided concrete
information,” said Michael
Wood, administrator of the
state’s department of Occu-
pational Safety and Health.
“Although we chose to
move forward with the rule,
the final product includes
a number of changes based
on that record.”
Oregon, which has
been among those with the
country’s most stringent
COVID-19 restrictions, had
previously had a mask rule
for businesses, but it was
only temporary and could
not be extended beyond 180
days. That prompted Wood
to create a permanent rule
with the intent to repeal it at
some point.
“To allow the work-
place COVID-19 protec-
tions to simply go away
would have left workers
far less protected. And it
would have left employers
who want to know what is
expected of them with a
good deal less clarity than
the rule provides,” Wood
said.
But t he prop osal
prompted a flood of angry
responses, with everyone
from parents to teachers
to business owners and
Mark Ylen/Albany Democrat-Herald, File
Oregon National Guard’s Ashley Smallwood, of Springfield, counts out boxes of face
masks to be given to Willamette Valley farmers while participating in a distribution
event on May 27, 2020, at the Oregon State University Extension Service-Linn County
office in Tangent.
employees crying govern-
ment overreach.
Wood’s agency received
more than 5,000 comments
—mostly critical — and
nearly 70,000 residents
signed a petition against
the rule.
O p p o ne nt s r a i s e d
concerns that there is no
sunset date or specific
metric for when the rule
would automatically be
repealed. As a result, Wood
said the final rule includes
considerably more detail
about the process and
criteria that will be used to
make the decision to repeal
the rule.
The rule requires that
employers make sure that
under most circumstances
people wear masks while
working inside and use face
coverings outside if they
have to be within 6 feet of
people. It also mandates
that businesses make sure
people aren’t within 6 feet
of each other — unless
that’s not practical for
certain activities.
The agency said it would
be considered if the rule
can be repealed, starting
no later than July.
Besides mask and
distancing requirements,
the rule — which also
includes requirements and
guidelines regarding air
flow, ventilation, employee
notification in case of an
outbreak, and sanitation
protocols — dovetails with
separate actions and restric-
tions by Gov. Kate Brown,
the latest being increased
county risk levels.
Last week, Oregon
recorded the fastest-grow-
ing COVID-19 infection
rate in the nation, and as a
result Brown implemented
further restrictions in 15
counties, including banning
indoor dining at restau-
rants and bars and signifi-
cantly decreasing capacity
in gyms and indoor enter-
tainment spaces.
The restrictions were
criticized by business
owners and Republican
lawmakers.
On May 4, those coun-
ties were moved back a
level, effective Friday, May
7, because the statewide
seven-day average increase
for hospitalized COVID-19
positive patients dropped
below 15 percent. This
means indoor dining and
other activities will be
allowed.
“Wit h O regon ia ns
continuing to get vacci-
nated each week, my
expectation is that we will
not return to Extreme Risk
again for the duration of
this pandemic,” Brown
said.
So far, about one-third
of Oregon’s population has
been fully vaccinated.
Around 75% of the
state’s staffed adult ICU
beds and about 85% of
the state’s staffed adult
non-ICU beds are occu-
pied, based on Oregon
Health Authority data
provided.
In the past month,
COVID-19 hospitalizations
in Oregon have more than
doubled, with 345 people
hospitalized with the virus
as of May 4.
By tiny fraction in metrics, 15 counties
moving out of extreme COVID-19 risk
By GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — The indoor
dining ban and other major
restrictions under COVID-
19 rules will be lifted on
Friday, May 7, for 15 coun-
ties because a key metric
was missed by 0.1%.
Gov. Kate Brow n
announced late on May
4 that 15 counties put on
the extreme risk level for
spread of the virus — the
highest of the four-tier risk
levels — could operate
under the high risk stan-
dards instead.
“Oregon no longer meets
the statewide metrics,”
Brown said in a statement.
The extreme risk level
shuts down indoor dining,
limits crowd sizes, caps
entertainment and exer-
cise activities and requires
most businesses to close
by 11 p.m. Visits to resi-
dents of nursing homes are
curtailed. Under high risk,
restaurants can offer indoor
dining and other restric-
tions are loosened.
Brow n’s st atement
ended a confusing delay of
several hours beyond the
normal release of risk level
ratings.
In early April, when
infections were on the
wane, Brown announced
that counties that would
normally be in the extreme
risk level could stay at the
high risk level as long as
hospitalizations statewide
didn’t top 300.
The policy also required
that hospitalizations rise
more than 15% to keep the
severe limits in place.
The waiver lasted until
last week, when the state
passed the mark of 300
COVID-19 patients in
Oregon hospitals.
The extreme risk restric-
tions were put in place for
COUNTY RISK CATEGORIES
Effective May 7 – 13
Lower Risk (8)
Gilliam
Harney
Lake
Morrow
Sherman
Union
Wallowa
Wheeler
Moderate Risk (4)
Coos (Moved from High)
Curry
Hood River (Moved from
High)
Tillamook
High Risk (24)
Baker (Moved from
Extreme)
Benton
Clackamas (Moved from
Extreme)
Clatsop
Columbia (Moved from
Extreme)
Crook (Moved from
Extreme)
Deschutes (Moved from
Extreme)
Baker, Clackamas, Colum-
bia, Crook, Deschutes,
Grant, Jackson, Josephine,
Klamath, Lane, Linn,
Marion, Multnomah, Polk
and Wasco counties.
Umatilla County, which
was moved to the high risk
category on May 4, remains
in the high risk category for
COVID-19 under the new
guidelines Brown released,
while Morrow County
remains in the low risk cate-
gory.
The period on which the
next risk levels were based
were from April 18 to May
1.
Oregon saw a statewide
rise in infections. The state
had 11,266 cases — 265.9
per 100,000. Positive tests
made up 6.4% of all results.
Douglas (Moved from
Moderate)
Grant (Moved from
Extreme)
Jackson (Moved from
Extreme)
Jefferson
Josephine (Moved from
Extreme)
Klamath (Moved from
Extreme)
Lane (Moved from Ex-
treme)
Lincoln
Linn (Moved from Ex-
treme)
Malheur (Moved from
Moderate)
Marion (Moved from
Extreme)
Multnomah (Moved from
Extreme)
Polk (Moved from Ex-
treme)
Umatilla
Wasco (Moved from
Extreme)
Washington
Yamhill
Extreme Risk (0)
But on May 4, hospitals
reported 345 COVID-19
patients, and the percentage
growth of hospitalizations
was pegged at 14.9%.
The minimum percent-
age growth to keep the
extreme risk limits fell
short by two patients state-
wide.
The 0.1% miss led to a
major policy u-turn.
“Based on (May 4)
numbers, I am keeping
my commitment to Orego-
nians,” Brown said.
As of (May 7), no coun-
ties will be under extreme
risk limits. The new
numbers put 24 counties at
high risk, four at moderate
risk, and eight at lower risk.
Oregon Health Author-
ity projections show the
state can handle the current
rate of demand for hospital
beds.
Brown also said she
did not expect the state to
move back to the extreme
level again at any point.
The state is expecting a
major increase in vaccine
shipments from the federal
government.
“Vaccinations are still
our best path to protecting
our loved ones, and stay-
ing on track to fully reopen
our economy by the end of
June,” she said.
Political friction in
Oregon has increased with
Brown’s extreme risk deci-
sion and again extending
her emergency powers, first
put in place in March 2020,
through at least June 28.
In the most concrete bid
to curb Brown’s author-
ity, the House on May 4
narrowly rejected a Repub-
lican-led effort to force a
vote on limiting Brown’s
pandemic powers.
The 28-27 vote was
against a motion to consider
a bill that would give the
Oregon Legislature a larger
say in a governor’s future
declarations of emergen-
cies.
“Oregonians deserve a
balance of power between
their separate branches of
government again,” said
House Minority Leader
Christine Drazan, R-Canby.
Brown and the Oregon
Health Authority Director
Pat Allen have pointed to
Oregon’s safety during the
pandemic that has killed
over 575,000 Americans.
Oregon has had the third
lowest per capita number
of cases in the nation, at
4,432 per 100,000 during
the entire pandemic.
Br ow n w i l l nex t
announce any revisions in
risk levels on Tuesday, May
11.