8A | JULY 23, 2020
Safety
from A1
as a result of the state’s
increase in corona-
virus cases and Lane
County, too, has felt
the COVID-19 surge as
it reported its highest
count in a day of 40 cases
on July 18.
Daily case counts have
dropped to fewer than
10 since then.
As of July 21, the coun-
ty has had a total of 406
cases, 54 of which are
currently infectious with
one person hospitalized.
To date, 33,538 tests
have been conducted
and three deaths have
been reported as a result
of the coronavirus.
More locally, Lane
County Public Health
data lists ZIP code 97424
as having 12 cases.
Based on contact trac-
ing and investigations,
county health officials
say new cases have pre-
dominantly been trav-
el-related as Lane Coun-
ty residents travel to
other areas and return
to infect others in small
gatherings.
Governor Kate Brown
has said that restaurants
and bars do not appear
to be sources of “signif-
icant” spread, so she will
not shut them down for
now. But she has added
that “nothing is off the
table.”
In an effort to miti-
gate the strain of ongo-
ing health requirements
| COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
on businesses, free face
masks have recently
been made available to
the area.
As Lane County re-
ceived 48,000 KN95
masks from the State
Office of Emergency
Management to support
small businesses, last
week the City of Cottage
Grove received 1,500 of
that bulk.
The masks are dispos-
able and available for
small businesses of 50 or
fewer employees.
“They’re not medical
grade,” said City Man-
ager Richard Meyers.
“They’re just regular face
covering masks.”
The masks were first
made available at the
Cottage Grove City Hall
this Monday. By the end
of the day, 100 masks
had been picked up by
nine businesses and
should the city eventual-
ly run out, more can be
requested.
The free masks can be
picked up at City Hall
during office hours,
which are 8 a.m. to noon
and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
Businesses are encour-
aged to have a represen-
tative come to City Hall
to pick up masks, which
are to be used specifical-
ly for employees.
Though this may pro-
vide some relief for staff,
local businesses have
also seen an ebb and
flow of a customer base
which is frequently sub-
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we start with not blam-
ing anyone. I think that’s
a great place to start.”
Staff at the newly
opened Covered Bridge
Brewing Group, too, are
trying to strike a bal-
ance.
“We want to make
people feel as welcome
as possible during these
crazy times — and safe,”
said part-owner Chrissy
Chapman. “We’re trying
the best we can to com-
ply in as pleasant a way
as we can.”
Customer pushback
against the requirements
has been relatively rare
according to several es-
tablishments.
“As the days go by and
it becomes more routine,
it’s getting less and less,”
Chapman attested.
Businesses noted that
one challenging point
to get across is that the
requirements are not a
political statement.
“Our jobs are on the
line if we don’t follow
these,” said Chapman.
“It is up to us to enforce
those rules.”
Enforcing those rules
comes at some cost to
the businesses, too, as
public health guidelines
require a high degree of
attention.
“It’s something we’re
definitely taking very
seriously,” said Eckstine.
“We’re following the
mandates as closely as
possible.”
In addition to pro-
viding staff with pro-
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tective equipment, food
and beverage businesses
must keep a constant eye
on sanitation levels.
This means that de-
spite an economic slump,
in some cases more staff
are required to get the
job done.
The Axe and Fiddle,
for example, brings in a
“quasi-host” to control
evening traffic for seat-
ing, said Eckstine.
Restaurants and bars
are also volunteering to
provide masks to cus-
tomers who forget their
own, adding a bit more
to costs.
And because man-
dates could change at a
moment’s notice, busi-
nesses must constantly
keep staff up to date on
the latest guidelines.
Smith said Coast Fork
Brewing has regular
staff meetings, which
are used as a training
ground to stay updated
and communicate safety
precautions.
“We talk about things
right down to the
amount of bleach we
put in every bottle,” she
said. “So everybody feels
ready and equipped.”
Coast Fork Brewing
has implemented some
unique practices as well,
such as marking tables
“sanitized” or “not san-
itized” for customer
protection. It has also
instituted a “speak up”
policy to encourage staff
to notify others if they
think something can be
improved.
The policy extends to
customers, too.
“I’ll never be upset
if someone calls some-
thing out because I want
to be 110 percent and I
believe that’s true of ev-
ery business in this com-
munity,” said Smith.
For the latest state-lev-
el
information
on
COVID-19, visit the
Oregon website online
at govsta-tus.egov.com/
OR-OHA-COVID-19.
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jected to new socializa-
tion requirements.
Food and beverage es-
tablishments in particu-
lar have noted that cus-
tomers are often walking
in to businesses without
a clear understanding of
the current rules.
“What we try to do
more than anything is
communicate, commu-
nicate, communicate,”
said Jakelen Eckstine,
head server at Axe and
Fiddle.
In restaurants and
bars, the rule of thumb
is that patrons should
keep a mask on unless
they are sitting at their
designated table eating
or drinking.
“When you get up
from your table or you’re
walking anywhere —
like walking to the bath-
room — get that mask
up,” advised Smith.
One added element
of stress for small busi-
nesses, though, is that
state mandates have ef-
fectively made staff the
enforcement arm of the
public health require-
ments. This puts busi-
nesses, especially in the
hospitality industry, in
the awkward position of
policing their establish-
ments.
Smith has tried to take
a friendly approach to
enforcement.
“[The rules] are there
for a reason. They’re
there for the safety and
well-being of our com-
munity,” said Smith. “So
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