SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021 | 5A BOTTLES from page 1A Customers can also sign up for a BottleDrop account at the store kiosk, and print bag tag labels with QR codes linking the bags to their accounts. Then they simply tag their bags, fill them with empty Oregon 10-cent refund contain- ers, and drop them off at the new BottleDrop network drop loca- tion. Their containers are counted and credited to their BottleDrop accounts within seven days. BottleDrop is operated by the Oregon Beverage Recycling Coop- erative (OBRC), which introduced the Green Bag program in 2010 as a convenient and efficient re- demption option for Oregonians. The program has grown each year, with Oregonians returning 8.3 million Green and Blue Bags in 2020. According to Oregon State Rep. Boomer Wright, “Redeeming cans and bottles just got a lot easier on the Central Coast. Oregon’s Bot- UPDATE from page 1A According to Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said, “Vaccines protect you, and they pro- tect everyone around you. It’s going to take all of us work- ing together to make sure enough Oregonians are vac- cinated to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communi- ties and end this pandemic.” On May 11, Brown an- nounced that counties that vaccinate at least 65% of their residents 16 or older with at least one dose and submit documentation on how they will close equity gaps in their vaccination efforts are eligi- ble to move to the lower risk level of community spread of COVID-19. On May 21, five counties were able to shift to this low- er risk after vaccination ef- forts, including Benton, De- schutes, Hood River, Lincoln and Washington counties. When Oregon achieves a first dose 70% statewide vaccination rate for residents 16 or older, according to the OHA, the state will lift all risk tle Bill continues bag tag labels with to get some of the QR codes linking best outcomes in their bags to their the world, in part accounts. They fill because of conve- the 20-gallon bags nient options like with redeemable the Green Bag pro- bottles and cans gram. I’m tremen- and drop them at dously excited to any approved Green see the BottleDrop Bag drop location. network expanding BottleDrop will to our area.” count the contents Oregon State Sen. and credit the ac- Dick Anderson also count within seven expressed excite- days. There are dif- ment. ferent ways account “This option is holders can spend very popular ev- their redemption erywhere it’s avail- funds: COURTESY PHOTO able, and it makes On May 21, State Rep. Boomer Wright loads the first Green Bag • Withdraw for redeeming cans into the Florence Fred Meyer BottleDrop Bag Drop location for cash at the Fred and bottles fast and bulk recycling of redeemable bottles and cans. Meyer Florence or easy,” he said. “This any BottleDrop ki- location will also open the area up and bottle donations.” osk; Oregonians who have a Bottle- to the Blue Bag program, which • Make them go 20% further by helps nonprofits engage their Drop account can purchase ap- spending them at the Fred Meyer supporters and supercharge their proved 20-gallon Green Bags for a Florence through the BottleDrop fundraising through ongoing can small fee. They also receive printed Plus program; level health and safety re- strictions. Some restrictions based on CDC guidance for use of masks and physical distancing may remain in place. To increase vaccinations, Brown has announced two separate motivators. The first is a $1 Million “Take Your Shot Oregon” Vaccination Campaign, where all vac- cinated Oregonians 12 and older are eligible for cash prizes or scholarships. Oregonians 18 and old- er will have the chance to win $1 million or one of 36 $10,000 prizes, with one win- ner in each county in Ore- gon. Oregonians age 12 to 17 will have a chance to win one of five $100,000 Oregon College Savings Plan schol- arships. All Oregonians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the draw date will be en- tered to win. “Vaccines are the best tool we have to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19, and our fastest way to end this pandemic,” said Governor Kate Brown. “The Take Your Shot Oregon Campaign is a way to thank Oregonians for stepping up and keeping our communi- ties safe. It’s never been easier to get a vaccine, so don’t miss your shot to enter!” The campaign is a collab- oration between the Oregon Health Authority, the Ore- gon Lottery, and the Oregon State Treasury, and is funded with $1.86 million in fed- eral Coronavirus Relief Act dollars. With the help of the Oregon Lottery, the Oregon Health Authority will draw names for winners in each category. The drawing will take place on June 28, with names announced the following week. The cut off for names being added to the vaccine database is midnight on June 27. The second motivation encouraged by the state is an effort to add vaccinated sec- tions are large events, such as for upcoming Portland Trail Blazers games. “When fans left the Moda Center last March, it was one of the first signs this pan- demic was about to change our lives in ways we hadn’t previously imagined,” said Brown. “Vaccines are the key to our return to normal life. It is a testament to the way Oregonians have united to battle this virus and get vaccinated in large numbers that, this week, the Rip City faithful can return to give our Trail Blazers the legendary home court advantage they deserve.” OHA will update health and safety guidance for low- er risk counties this week to reflect the following changes, allowing the option for vacci- nated sections for businesses, venues and faith institutions. OHA’s new guidance includes the following: • Individuals in Oregon are no longer required to wear a face mask or physically dis- tance, whether indoors or outdoors, two weeks after their final COVID-19 vacci- nation dose. A “fully vacci- nated individual” is a person • Save for education with an Or- egon 529 account; or, • Donate to a charity of your choice through BottleDrop Give. Customers can get started with the Green Bag program on Bottle- Drop’s website, by downloading the mobile app via the App Store and Google Play or by signing up at the BottleDrop kiosk inside the Fred Meyer Florence. OBRC is a statewide, not-for- profit cooperative, formed by the beverage distributors, manufactur- ers and grocers. OBRC helps keep Oregon beautiful by providing outstanding services to partners, distributors, retailers and the pub- lic for the recovery, reuse and recy- cling of beverage containers. Through OBRC’s BottleDrop Redemption Centers and container pickup service for more than 2,500 retail partners, the co-op recycles around 3 billion beverage contain- ers annually. To learn more, visit BottleDropCenters.com or OBRC. com. who has received both doses of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of a sin- gle-dose vaccine and at least 14 days have passed since the individual’s final dose of COVID-19 vaccine. • Fully vaccinated individ- uals are required to continue wearing a mask and observe physical distancing on pub- lic transportation and in schools, hospitals and clinics, homeless shelters, youth and adult correctional facilities and long-term care facilities. • Businesses, employers and faith institutions can choose to no longer require masks and physical dis- tancing for fully vaccinated individuals or continue to require masks and physical distancing in their locations for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status. • If a business, employer or faith institution chooses to no longer require masks and physical distancing, the business, employer or faith institution must require vis- itors to show proof of vacci- nation and review the proof of vaccination. In that case, a business would need to have a policy for checking the vaccination status of cus- tomers and employees if they are not wearing masks. Fully vaccinated individuals would need to provide proof they’d been vaccinated if they want to remove face coverings and not observe physical distanc- ing guidelines. In addition, state health experts announced that face coverings are no longer re- quired outdoors, regardless of vaccination status. OHA strongly recommends that people who are not vaccinat- ed and people who are at high risk of severe COVID-19 dis- ease continue to wear face coverings and physically dis- tance in outdoor crowded ar- eas and large gatherings. People can learn more about the virus, and how to get vaccinated, at covid- vaccine.oregon.gov; coronavirus.oregon.gov/ Pages/living-with-covid-19. aspx; all4oregon.org; lane county.org/coronavirus; and lanecounty.org/vaxclinics. 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