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Lane County
Ballots due now for May 19 election offers reasons
for reopening
proposal
Application to
reopen includes
details on
testing, plans
Siuslaw News
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
VOL. 130, NO. 38
F LORENCE , O REGON
WEATHER
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
B
allots for the May 19 Primary Election can now be dropped off outside the Florence Municipal Court,
900 Greenwood St. In order to assure receipt of the ballot in time to be counted, Lane County elec-
tion officials recommend bringing the completed and signed ballot to an official drop-off location be-
fore Tuesday’s election. Lane County Elections is currently closed for walk-in customers. For more infor-
mation on the upcoming Primary Election, go to lanecounty.org/elections and sos.oregon.gov/voting/
Pages/current-election.aspx. See ELECTIONS on page 2A for more information
Community Foundation awards grant to 90by30
This year Western Lane Commu-
nity Foundation (WLCF) generous-
ly awarded 90by30 a grant totaling
$6,000.
This grant funded the Roots of
Empathy project in Siuslaw and Ma-
pleton first grade classes for the 2019-
2020 school year. 90by30 is an initia-
tive at the University of Oregon that
is working to “reduce child abuse by
90 percent by the year 2030” through-
out Lane County. Roots of Empathy is
one of the projects being implement-
ed by 90by30 throughout West Lane.
Roots of Empathy was created in
1996 by Mary Gordon, an educator,
author and child advocate. The pro-
gram is delivered on three continents,
and in multiple languages.
It is an evidence-based classroom
program that has shown significant
effect in reducing levels
of aggression, including
bullying, among school
children while raising
social/emotional com-
petence and increasing
empathy. Lane County
is proud to be the first
to deliver this program
in Oregon. Roots of Em-
pathy is now in 30 Lane
County classrooms, with
over 750 local elementa-
ry students.
COURTESY PHOTO
At the heart of the Teresa and Baby Walter visit Mapleton Ele-
program are a neighbor- mentary School as part of West Lane 90by30’s
hood parent and baby Roots of Empathy Program.
who visit a classroom
nine times during the school year. A development and to label the baby’s
trained volunteer Instructor coach- feelings.
See 90by30 page 7A
es the students to observe the baby’s
The New Normal
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
Gov. Kate Brown’s
plan to reopen Oregon
prove to the state that it can meet
specific guidelines, including de-
clining COVID prevalence, a con-
tact tracing system and sufficient
healthcare capacity. If that criteria
is met, the county can begin to re-
open this Friday, May 15.
Lane County was one of the first
counties to submit a reopening
plan, and all indications from state
officials point to the request being
approved, though at press time
Tuesday, no official announce-
ment has been made.
The county’s application lists a
host of measures it has taken to
help curb the spread, from addi-
tional testing capacity to stron-
ger contract tracing protocols. So
far, the county has seen few cases,
though it pointed out that testing
in the early parts of the pandemic
were limited. However, the rates
When will we begin to reopen? of hospitalizations due to COVID
To reopen, each county must have been minimal, and the coun-
ty believes it can respond to any
flare ups that occur.
Even if the county’s application
is rejected, “standalone furniture
stores, boutiques, art galleries and
jewelry shops” will be allowed to
open on March 15, regardless of
the county’s status, the state said.
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FOLLOW US FOR THE
What will retail stores look like?
Retail stores will see the least
amount of requirements, begin-
ning with maintaining at least six
feet of distance between employees
and customers.
“Store management should de-
termine maximum occupancy to
maintain at least six feet of phys-
ical distancing, considering areas
of the store prone to crowding
(like aisles) and limit admittance
accordingly,” the OHA wrote in a
list of rules and regulations.
See REOPEN page 6A
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“We’ve joined the rest of the
world in facing this historic pan-
demic head-on, taking extraordi-
nary measures to save lives,” Gov.
Kate Brown said in public remarks
last Thursday as she unveiled
specific details on reopening the
state, including guidelines for re-
tail stores, restaurants and bars
and personal services, along with
guidelines for the general public.
It had been two months since the
state began to shut down in a bid to
slow the spread of the novel coro-
navirus COVID-19. On Thursday,
Oregon officials stated the mea-
sures worked, with the state rank-
ing the fourth lowest in the nation
for infections per 100,000.
But now Brown and the Oregon
Health Authority (OHA) are faced
with balancing reopening the state
to bolster the economy, while
simultaneously preventing the
spread of a disease that still little is
known about.
Over the past week, the state
has been releasing specific guide-
lines for a variety of businesses,
including outdoor businesses and
spas. Siuslaw News looked at three
businesses to understand what the
requirements may bring — retail
stores, bars and restaurants, and
personal services, such as beauty
salons and barber shops.
For many businesses, the re-
quirements are minimal and could
potentially cause few disruptions.
However, others could see a steep
loss in clientele or be prevented
from opening up all together in
the state’s blueprint for the new
normal.
On May 8, Lane County
submitted its proposal to
the state of Oregon on its
plans to begin the process of
reopening after two months
of restrictions to help prevent
the spread of COVID-19.
The 40-page submission
lists details on the county’s
preparedness, including rates
of hospitalizations, plans for
a resurgence of the virus and
testing capabilities.
While at press time the
state has not officially
announced whether or not
the county will be allowed to
reopen on May 15, represen-
tatives have stated that the
“majority” of counties that
have applied will see applica-
tions approved.
“The health and safety of
Lane County residents must
be the top priority as Lane
County prepares to relax
restrictions implemented as
part of Governor Brown’s
Stay Home, Save Lives
executive order,” the county
wrote in its application for
reopening. “While there is no
expectation that COVID cas-
es will get to zero in the near
future, a phased approach to
reopening the community
and allowing commerce to
resume will help limit the
number of people impacted
by the new disease.”
See COUNTY page 8A
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