6A | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS
“I recognize the burden
these restrictions place on
Oregon businesses and
working families. My goal
is to lift these restrictions as
soon as it is safely possible,
and keep Oregon on the
path for lifting most health
and safety requirements by
the end of June so we can
fully reopen our economy.
But we will only get there
if enough Oregonians get
vaccinated. There are ap-
pointments available right
now all across the state.”
$20 million for immedi-
ate aid to businesses in
Extreme Risk counties
Brown is partnering with
legislators on the $20 mil-
lion emergency relief pack-
age to provide immediate
aid to impacted businesses
CENSUS from page 1A
The 2020 Census pop-
ulation data includes the
resident population of the
50 states, plus a count of
the U.S. military personnel
and federal civilian em-
ployees living outside the
United States (and their de-
pendents living with them)
who can be allocated to a
home state.
Oregon will be one of the
beneficiaries of an increase
in population as the state
will gain one member in
Congress, determined after
a
two-and-a-half-month
delay in completing the
census.
Oregon saw a 10.6
percent increase in resi-
dent population — from
3,848,606 to 4,237,256
— and will consequently
gain one voice in the low-
er house of Congress. Each
member of the Oregon del-
egation to the House rep-
resents 706,917 residents.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
was quick to acknowledge
the increase in state repre-
sentation, saying after the
conference, “Every Orego-
nian’s voice matters, and
it is great news that as our
state continues to grow, we
will get an additional seat
in Congress to represent us.
Thanks to everyone who
participated in the 2020
Census to make sure you
were counted.”
The challenges present-
ed to the Census Bureau
in 2020 were unprecedent-
ed, according to the act-
ing Director of the Census
Bureau, Ron Jarmin, but
he insisted results of last
year’s census were accurate
and thorough. Hurricanes,
wildfires, lockdowns and
civil unrest were all factors
which Jarmin indicated
combined to form serious
challenges to collecting ac-
curate information.
“Despite all the challeng-
es of the pandemic, the
completeness and accuracy
of these first 2020 Census
results are comparable with
recent censuses. We had
numerous quality checks
built into collecting the
data, and we have conduct-
ed one of the most compre-
hensive reviews in recent
census history during data
processing,” Jarmin said.
“We are proud to release
these first results from the
2020 Census today. These
results reflect the tireless
commitment from the en-
tire Census Bureau team to
produce the highest-quality
statistics that will continue
to shape the future of our
country.”
Jarmin was just one of
the high-profile speakers
at the bureau’s YouTube
national unveiling con-
ference, and a subsequent
question-and-answer ses-
sion with the media and the
public on Monday, April 26.
The Census Bureau has
attempted to distribute
data and demographic re-
sults more widely during
this census cycle, by using
social media and virtual
in extreme risk counties
through the state’s com-
mercial rent relief program.
“After
conversations
with legislative leaders, I
am confident we can move
quickly to bring relief to
businesses and their em-
ployees in extreme risk
counties,” Brown said. “The
vast majority of Oregon
businesses have followed
our health and safety guid-
ance to protect Oregonians
from COVID-19, even
though doing so has come
with an economic cost.
This emergency aid will
help businesses in extreme
risk counties.”
In addition, the governor
announced that outdoor
capacity limits for bars,
restaurants, and other sec-
tors will be raised from 50
to 100 people in extreme
risk counties, with health
risk when they meet the
county metrics for case
rates and percent posi-
tivity, and Oregon meets
statewide hospitalization
metrics: COVID-19 posi-
tive patients occupying 300
hospital beds or more, and
a 15 percent increase in the
seven-day hospitalization
average over the past week.
Counties will stay in ex-
treme risk for a maximum
of three weeks, and will
be able to move to a low-
er risk level sooner if their
COVID-19 case rates are
brought down in the inter-
vening weeks, or if Oregon
moves below 300 statewide
hospitalizations or the sev-
en-day hospitalization av-
Three-week limit placed erage percent increase goes
on Extreme Risk level
below 15 percent.
Under the Risk Level
The governor has also
framework, counties move worked in partnership with
to (or remain in) extreme Portland metro-area hospi-
conferences to share the
department’s results.
U.S. Secretary of Com-
merce Gina M. Raimondo
opened the meeting with
praise for the agency and
thanks for the participation
of those being counted.
“The American public
deserves a big thank you
for its overwhelming re-
sponse to the 2020 Census,”
she said. “Despite many
challenges, our nation
completed a census for the
24th time. This act is fun-
damental to our democ-
racy and a declaration of
our growth and resilience. I
also want to thank the team
at the U.S. Census Bureau,
who overcame unprece-
dented challenges to collect
and produce high-quality
data that will inform de-
cision-making for years to
come.”
Later, Jarmin responded
to questions regarding the
accuracy of the count and
directed the public’s atten-
tion to the bureau’s website,
which detailed the follow-
ing steps which were ac-
tivated specifically for the
most recent census.
To adapt to last year’s
unique challenges, the bu-
reau provided additional
opportunities for everyone
to respond, including:
• Deploying staff to plac-
es in low-responding areas
to answer questions and
help people respond to the
2020 Census.
• Introducing phone calls
instead of, or in addition to,
sending census takers door
to door to follow up with
households that hadn’t re-
sponded yet.
• Extending data collec-
tion by 2.5 months to allow
more time for households
to respond and for follow
up with those that didn’t.
• Expanding outreach
through more than 400,000
national and local partners
and through national ad-
vertising to encourage the
public to respond online,
by phone or by mail or to
cooperate with census tak-
ers.
• Working with local
tribal leaders to hire indi-
viduals already living on
reservation lands as census
takers.
• Adapting telephone
operations to allow social
distancing in the call cen-
ters and to permit callbacks
when sufficient operators
were not available due to
COVID-19 restrictions.
• Sending teams of
skilled enumerators from
other parts of the country
closer to finishing to areas
lagging behind after hurri-
cane damage.
• Changing field proce-
dures to minimize neces-
sary in-person contact with
the public, such as leaving
census invitations on mail-
boxes and training enumer-
ators to exercise social dis-
tancing during contact with
respondents.
• Providing and encour-
aging electronic response
options for group quarters
facilities, such as nursing
homes and detention cen-
ters.
In addition to these new-
ly released statistics, Rai-
mondo delivered popula-
tion counts to the president
to be used for apportioning
the seats in the U.S. House
of Representatives. In ac-
and safety measures, in-
cluding physical distanc-
ing, in place.
She added, “We know
that the risk of COVID-19
transmission is lower out-
doors. I am urging all Or-
egonians, if you choose to
gather with others, keep
it outdoors. Indoor trans-
mission is a key driver in
the COVID-19 surge that
is making renewed health
and safety restrictions nec-
essary.”
The Oregon Health Au-
thority will also be working
to align Oregon’s outdoor
mask guidance with the
CDC guidance announced
today.
cordance with Title 2 of the
U.S. Code, a congressional-
ly defined formula is ap-
plied to the apportionment
population to distribute the
435 seats in the U.S. House
of Representatives among
the states.
See CONT. page 7A
Attention Hunters!
Now is the time to select your 2021 hunts
Complete your Controlled Hunt Applications
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tals to ensure systems are
in place to closely monitor
and manage hospital ca-
pacity. Health systems in
the Portland area are using
the coordinated system de-
veloped at the beginning of
the pandemic to manage
hospital surge capacity, bed
space, essential services,
and non-urgent procedures
as needed over the next
three weeks in order to
preserve hospital beds and
critical care capacity.
“I want to thank hospital
and health care leaders for
the work they are doing to
manage hospital bed space,
so that no Oregonian is
turned away from receiv-
ing the health care they
need,” Brown said. “Now,
I am asking Oregonians to
do their part to help stop
the spread of COVID-19
in our communities so we
can help support our nurs-
es, doctors, and frontline
health care workers.”
Brown asked hospital
leaders to alert the Gov-
ernor’s Office and OHA
immediately if addition-
al measures are needed to
preserve hospital capacity.
If, after three weeks, Or-
egon still exceeds statewide
hospitalization metrics and
one or more counties still
meet the case rates and per-
cent positivity for extreme
risk, the Oregon Health
Authority will evaluate
why and make recommen-
dations to the Governor’s
Office.
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