8A | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS
with flu: Practice good hand
hygiene and stay home if
you’re feeling sick. We would
also urge residents to keep
informed through reputable
sources, such as the CDC,
about the latest precautions
related to travel.”
Foster also stressed that Or-
egon has not had any instanc-
es of COVID-19 thus far.
As far as preparing for a
possible outbreak, Peace-
Health Peace Harbor stated
that the medical center is pre-
pared to meet the needs of the
community should the spread
of COVID-19 escalate.
“Our local infection pre-
vention experts are working
with Lane County Public
Health to establish clinical
and operational protocols, im-
plement isolation procedures,
safeguard screening tools and
lab testing and ensure ade-
quate supplies and protective
equipment,” Hawkins said.
Peace Harbor is asking any
patients who feel they may
be at risk or are experiencing
symptoms to call the hospital
at 541-997-8412 before vis-
iting the hospital so they can
create a care plan that ensures
the safety of all patients and
caregivers.
“And we want to remind ev-
eryone about the importance
of hand hygiene,” Hawkins
said. “Wash your hands fre-
quently and cover your mouth
and nose with your elbow
when you cough or sneeze.”
Other precautions, as is-
sued by the state of Oregon,
include:
• Avoid close contact with
people who are sick. Avoid
touching your eyes, nose and
mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean and disinfect sur-
faces people often touch.
• Consult travel advisories
if you plan to travel outside of
the U.S.
• Take care of your health
overall. Staying current on
your vaccinations, including
the flu vaccine, eating well
and exercising all help your
body stay resilient.
“Public awareness is key
to preventing the spread of
coronavirus,” stated Brown’s
press release. “Just as with flu
season, containing coronavi-
rus starts with everyone — at
home, in the workplace, and
at school.”
First responders with
WLAD and SVFR are also
preparing for a possible out-
break. As of right now, the
agencies are taking precau-
tions similar to that of the
VIRUS from page 1A
facility, including Peace Har-
bor, but we’re closely moni-
toring the situation in all our
communities in partnership
with the CDC and local public
health agencies,” Peace Har-
bor CAO Jason Hawkins said.
“There’s no reason to pan-
ic at all,” Western Lane Am-
bulance District and Siuslaw
Valley Fire and Rescue Chief
Michael Schick said. “We need
to be cautious and ready, but
I think everything we do for
influenza, we should be do-
ing for coronavirus. It is a bad
disease. You see a lot of death,
a lot more than what we see
with influenza. But if you take
the same precautions, people
should be okay.”
Coronaviruses are com-
mon throughout the world,
according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Preven-
tion (CDC), and includes
multiple strains that “usually
cause mild to moderate up-
per-respiratory tract illnesses,
like the common cold,” the
CDC reported. “Most people
get infected with one or more
of these viruses at some point
in their lives.”
The
recent
coronavi-
rus strain has been dubbed
“COVID-19,” a combination
of “coronavirus disease” and
the year it was discovered,
2019.
Generally, the virus spreads
from
person-to-person,
though the CDC has not ruled
out other means of infection.
“Currently, it’s unclear how
easily or sustainably this virus
is spreading between people,”
the center reported.
After exposure to the virus,
a person can begin showing
symptoms as soon as two
days, but as late as 14, accord-
ing to the CDC. Symptoms
mirror that of influenza, and
can include fever, cough and
shortness of breath.
While there is currently no
vaccine for the illness, the vast
majority of patients who con-
tract the virus are able to re-
cover, though there has been
some concern that seniors
have had more difficulty with
the COVID-19 than other
populations.
“Just like with the influenza
virus, seniors are at a higher
risk of serious illness,” said
William Foster, Peace Har-
bor’s emergency department
medical director. “Although
there isn’t yet a vaccine for
the novel coronavirus, we en-
courage the same additional
precautions that we would
&
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recent outbreak of influenza.
This includes limiting poten-
tial exposure to first respond-
ers with protective gear such
as masks, gloves and goggles.
“I don’t think we need to be
worried yet,” Schick reiterated.
“We want to remind everyone about the im-
portance of hand hygiene. Wash your hands
frequently and cover your mouth and nose with
your elbow when you cough or sneeze.”
— Jason Hawkins, PeaceHealth Peace Harbor CAO
If COVID-19 does come to
the Siuslaw region, the chief
said that it wouldn’t prevent
emergency responders from
providing care. “If we start
seeing patients around the
state, then we would start
dealing with notifying our
personnel beforehand that
this person might be infected
with the coronavirus,” he said.
As for local schools, Siu-
slaw School district is already
in discussions on a response
in the event that COVID-19
comes to the Siuslaw region.
“While the lethality of this
virus is low, its infectious rate
is quite high, and this is likely
to cause some potential dis-
ruptions do daily life in the US
if and when the virus starts
large scale infections,” said
Siuslaw School Board Presi-
dent Guy Rosinbaum.
If COVID-19 comes to the
region, he stated the likely
outcomes to the district are
twofold: Large-scale absen-
teeism due to illness and the
potential for using district fa-
cilities for care centers.
In district policy regarding
school closures, if seven to
eight percent of the student
population becomes infected,
the schools will continue as
normal. If 10 percent of the
student population is infected,
then additional custodial staff
will be brought in to sanitize
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AUTOMOTIVE
Petersen Auto Detailing
Florence, Oregon, 97439
541-999-6078
CHAMBER
CHARITABLE GIVING
Salvation Army - Western Lane County
PO Box 1041
Florence Or 97439
1-800-481-3280
CHURCH
Cross Road Assembly of God
1380 10th St
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3533
Florence Church of Christ
1833 Tamarack St.
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3133
DENTURIST
Denture Services
524 Laurel Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-6054
ESTATE SALES
Cindy Wobbe Estate Sales
498 Hwy. 101
Florence OR 97439
541-999-0126
www.CindyWobbeEstates.com
EVENT CENTER
Florence Events Center
715 Quince Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-1994
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce
290 Hwy 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3128
www.florencechamber.com
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Johnston Motor Company
Since 1939
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475
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Hoberg’s Complete Auto Repair
345 Hwy. 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-2413
who may have come into con-
tact with the disease or trav-
eled to mainland China.
“Starting this week, Oregon
Health Authority (OHA) is
providing weekly public up-
dates about how many people
are being monitored in Ore-
gon, as well as sharing updates
about how Oregon families
can help prevent the spread
of coronavirus on OHA’s
COVID-19 website,” the state
said. “Oregon hospitals and
health providers have scaled
up their preparedness efforts,
and OHA is conducting on-
going outreach to health fa-
cilities to support training and
preparedness, as well as mon-
itoring health care availability
and needs.”
Finally, OHA Director Pat
Allen said Oregon is resilient
in the face of such outbreaks,
from H1N1 influenza to other
global public health threats.
“Each time, Oregon’s public
health and health care systems
and their partners have found
ways to strengthen our collec-
tive response,” he said. “If the
coronavirus comes to Oregon,
we will be ready.”
For more information
on the state response to
COVID-19, visit www.oregon.
gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCON
DITIONS/DISEASESAZ/Pag-
es/emerging-respiratory-in-
fections.aspx.
For information from the
CDC, visit www.cdc.gov/
coronav irus/2019-nCoV/
index.html.
For information for Peace
Health, visit www.peace
health.org/medical-topics/id/
ack8845.
Ed Kopilec
Principal Broker
541 991-8630
Keep it local.
ART ALLIANCE
more of the population comes
down with COVID-19, then
the district will be closed,
typically for longer than three
days. Reopening of the school
sites would be directed by
Lane County.
As for the possibility of
such a widespread outbreak,
Siuslaw
Superintendent
Andy Grzeskowiak said,
“The schools do have medi-
cal-grade sanitizers on hand,
but this virus appears to have
a longer viability on surfaces.
And with the longer latency
and transmission windows of
this virus, the mandated clo-
sures to allow for site prepa-
ration and avoid re-infections
would be a bit longer.”
If the virus spreads signifi-
cantly throughout the region,
the Siuslaw Middle School
gym will most likely be desig-
nated as an emergency med-
ical refuge and triage site for
the local area, depending on
the severity of the outbreak.
“All of our school resourc-
es would go into supporting
the community at need first,”
Grzeskowiak said. “All stocks
of food, water and fuel will go
to emergency medical relief
in the event of a large-scale
event. Our school buses are
designated for emergency
transport in the event of a
community emergency — ei-
ther from the hospital to tri-
age sites or from Florence to
other medical service areas.
In the event that school staff
are not able to drive emer-
gency transport, there is an
agreement in place for first
responders to use the bus fleet
as necessary.”
When cleared by either
county or state health author-
ities, the schools would then
reopen on a limited scale,
“depending upon the use of
school sites for critical care
use and the ability to operate
safely with the typical systems
restored to basic level of ser-
vice,” Grzeskowiak added.
As for the state, Brown
convened a Coronavirus
Response Team on Friday,
tasked with coordinating
state and local agencies, as
well as health authorities,
in preparation for response
to COVID-19. The purpose
of the team is to “ensure we
are taking every precaution
necessary, in coordination
with local health authorities,
hospitals, community health
partners and school districts,
to make sure that Oregon is
fully prepared to respond to
any outbreaks of the coronavi-
rus and that Oregonians know
how they can keep their fami-
lies safe,” Brown said.
The state reported that
agencies are reviewing readi-
ness plans to ensure the gov-
ernment is able to maintain
a continuity of operations
and services in the event that
coronavirus impacts agency
operations.
State, county and tribal
health officials are also mon-
itoring people for symptoms
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Support
Florence Regional Arts Alliance
120 Maple Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-999-0859
the building at night. If 15
percent of the student body is
infected, the district will con-
tact Lane County Health for a
potential closure between one
and three days.
However, if 20 percent or
Edward Jones-Andy Baber, AAMS
Financial Advisor
1010 Highway 101
541-997-8755
Oregon Pacific Bank
1355 Highway 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-7121
www.opbc.com
FUNERAL CHAPEL
Burns’s Riverside Chapel
2765 Kingwood St.
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3416
Dunes Memorial Chapel
2300 Frontage Road
Reedsport, Oregon 97467
541-271-2822
GARBAGE & RECYCLING
County Transfer & Recycling
5078 Coastwood Lane
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-8233
HEATING/SHEET METAL
Florence Heating & Sheet Metal
1645 Kingwood St
541-997-2422
Local
Businesses
HUMANE SOCIETY
Oregon Coast Humane Society
541-997-4277
Shelter
2840 Rhododendron Dr.
Thrift Store
1193 Bay St.
INSURANCE
Abel Insurance Agency
875 Hwy 101
Florence, OR 97439
541-997-3466
www.abelinsuranceagency.com
NEWSPAPERS
Siuslaw News
148 Maple Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3441
www.thesiuslawnews.com
PEST CONTROL
Swanson’s Pest Management
1550 15th St #14
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-4027
PET GROOMING/BOARDING
Aloha Pet Grooming
1751 12th Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-2726
REAL ESTATE
Coldwell Banker Coast Real Estate
Lynnette Wikstrom, Broker
100 Hwy 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-999-0786
West Coast Real Estate Services, Inc.
1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-SOLD (7653)
www.shoppelocal.biz
REC. VEHICLES SERV. & REPAIR
Florence RV & Automotive Specialists
4390 Hwy 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-8287
www.FlorenceRV.com
RESTAURANT
1285 Restobar
1285 Bay St, Florence, Oregon 97439
(541) 902-8338
RETIREMENT LIVING
The Shorewood
1451 Spruce St.
Florence, Oregon 97439
(541) 997-8202
shorewoodsl.com
SEAFOOD
Krab Kettle
270 Hwy 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-8996
SEPTIC SERVICE
Wally’s Septic Tank Pumping Inc.
541-997-8885
TIRES
Les Schwab Tire Center
4325 Highway 101
Florence, Oregon, 97439
(541) 997-7178