NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
A3
Eagle file photo
Grant funding is available for small businesses impacted by
COVID-19 that have not received federal assistance.
Two more grant opportunities
open up for small businesses
in Grant County
“ONE OF THE
BIGGEST
CONCERNS ARE
THE SMALL
BUSINESSES
NOT BEING
ABLE TO
SURVIVE THE
PANDEMIC.”
County businesses
preapproved for
$25,000 in funds
through GEODC
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Small businesses in
Grant County still have
opportunities to apply
for grant funding through
Business Oregon.
Stephanie
LeQuieu,
Grant County rural ven-
ture catalyst with Ore-
gon RAIN, said Friday that
another application win-
dow opened up this week
and that it will stay open
longer than it did in the first
round.
She said the Business
Oregon grants are for small
businesses with less than
25 employees and sole pro-
prietors that did not receive
emergency
assistance
under the federal Corona-
virus Aid, Relief, and Eco-
nomic Security Act.
LeQuieu
said
she
knows of one business
that has received its grant
money from the first round
of applications, and eight
others qualified out of
37 applicants. The quali-
fied applicants were to be
entered in a lottery draw-
ing to distribute the funds,
but LeQuieu said she
thought there was enough
funding for all that quali-
fied in the first round.
A majority of the busi-
nesses, LeQuieu said, have
already received an Eco-
nomic Injury Disaster
Loan through the Small
Business Administration,
which disqualified many
businesses in the first
round.
For more information,
contact LeQuieu at steph-
anie@oregonrain.org or
541-965-1598.
Susan Christensen, executive
director Greater Eastern
Oregon Development
Corporation
Business Assistance Pro-
gram grant money is also
available and that Grant
County has been preap-
proved for $25,000.
Christensen said she
will send the applications
to LeQuieu. She said she
will work closely with
the county court and send
emails with the applica-
tions to cities in the district.
She said funds, par-
tially through Business
Oregon, are for small busi-
nesses with fewer than 25
employees and sole propri-
etors that have not received
CARES Act assistance.
Christensen said the
$25,000 has to be disbursed
by Aug. 21.
“I have to have at least
an application approved by
Aug. 21,” she said.
She said the turnaround
time for a business to
receive money is approxi-
mately a week.
She said Business Ore-
gon has to ensure that a
business has not received
money from a different
source.
She said the hope is
the grants will allow small
businesses to keep their
doors open.
“One of the biggest con-
cerns are the small busi-
nesses not being able to sur-
vive the pandemic,” she said.
Christensen said any-
one interested in apply-
ing for the grant can reach
out to her at susan.chris-
tensen@geodc.net
or
541-612-7142.
Emergency Business
Assistance Program
Susan
Christensen,
Greater Eastern Oregon
Development Corporation
executive director, said
COVID-19
Emergency
Oregon Department of Transportation
Eagle file photo
Grant County Health Department staff prepare COVID-19 test kits in May during the department’s curbside testing day. The depart-
ment confirmed a second case of COVID-19 in the county July 20.
Contact tracing begins 48 hours
before symptoms or positive test
Lindsay: ‘The
best science says
that the period of
transmission is in
these 48 hours’
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Contact tracing became
an issue as Grant County saw
its second positive COVID-
19 case since March this
month.
County Health Admin-
istrator Kimberly Lindsay
said the person who recently
tested positive reached out to
everyone they were in con-
tact with going back to July
1, letting them know they
may have been exposed —
but, following state guide-
lines, the health depart-
ment only performed contact
tracing starting at 48 hours
before the first symptoms,
which subjected the depart-
ment to community-wide
scrutiny.
Lindsay said the health
department reaches out to
anyone who has been in close
contact — within 6 feet for
15 minutes — with someone
infected with COVID-19,
starting at 48 hours before
the person begins to experi-
ence symptoms, or 48 hours
before receiving the test for
people who do not experi-
ence symptoms. The depart-
ment informs those people
they have been exposed and
encourages them to quaran-
tine themselves to prevent
spreading the disease any
further.
Lindsay said going back
48 hours is following the
state’s guidelines.
“The best science says
that the period of transmis-
sion is in these 48 hours
Eagle file photo
Grant County Health Administrator Kimberly Lindsay address-
es the county court July 8. Lindsay said the health department
reaches out to anyone who was in close contact with someone
who tests positive, starting from 48 hours before that person
experienced their first symptom or 48 hours before someone re-
ceived the test when they have not experienced symptoms.
— that it’s a waste of time,
resources, money and every-
thing if you go back farther,”
Lindsay said.
Lindsay said the virus is
“busy spreading” roughly
48 hours before the first
symptom.
Lindsay said people must
keep in mind that researchers
are continuing to learn more
about COVID-19.
“This virus has been with
us in the world, our world,
for seven months, eight
months if we go back to the
beginning of December,” she
said. “And something like
the flu has been with us for
over 100 years, and we know
more about the flu today than
we do about this virus.”
Oregon’s Medical Direc-
tor Dean Sidelinger said
Friday that people are
most contagious within
two days of developing
symptoms.
“For individuals with
symptoms, we typically
think that they are conta-
gious the two days before
they develop symptoms,”
Sidelinger said. “For individ-
uals who don’t have symp-
toms, we can’t base it on a
symptom date; we base it
on the date they received the
test and go back two days
from that date to identify
people who may have been
potentially exposed.”
Lindsay said the health
department has 24 hours to
contact a person who tests
positive.
“In my mind, we want to
be reaching out to the person
within the first hour or two,”
she said. “And granted, we
only have two cases, but we
have done exactly that.”
We will be closing early starting
July 27, 2020 at 4:30 daily.
New Office Hours:
Monday-Friday 8am to 4:30pm.
Update 7/24/2020
NOTICE OF ROAD WORK
J
OR 7 / Hwy 410 / U.S. 26 / U.S. 395 CHIP SEAL
(Whitney / Sumpter / John Day / John Day-Burns highways)
Beginning in early August the Oregon Department of Transportation will be chip sealing sections of OR7 (Whitney Hwy.),
195 N. Canyon Blvd.,
John Day, OR. 97845
www.MyEagleNews.com
541-575-0710
S199066-1
Hwy. 410 (Sumpter Hwy.), U.S. 26 (John Day Hwy.) and U.S. 395 (John Day-Burns Hwy.) in the Baker and Grant County
area.
1. Aug. 3-6: OR7 (Whitney Hwy.) Grant Co. line to Mason Dam, milepost 9.5 to 35.3 and Hwy. 410 (Sumpter Hwy.) OR7
to Sumpter, milepost zero to 3.7.
2. Aug. 7-10: U.S. 26 (John Day Hwy.) John Day to Prairie City, milepost 162.6 to 175.
3. Aug. 10-11: U.S. 395-C (John Day-Burns Hwy.) U.S. 26 in John Day to Canyon City, milepost zero to 2.34.
4. Aug. 12-18: U.S. 395-C (John Day-Burns Hwy.) Star Ridge to Harney Co. line, milepost 15.5 to 40.38.
Grant County Youth
Livestock Auction
NOTE: Dates are subject to change, depending on weather conditions and other factors.
PARKING RESTRICTIONS: During chip seal activities in downtown areas, vehicles will not be allowed to park in
work zones along U.S. 26 in John Day and Prairie City and along U.S. 395 in John Day and Canyon City.
TRAVEL IMPACTS: Expect up to 20-minute delays, reduced speeds, loose rock on the roadway, flaggers, and pilot cars
directing single lane traffic through the work zones. Minor delays during nighttime/early morning hours for road sweeping.
Please reduce speed and watch for construction activities in the area. Plan extra travel time and slow down to prevent loose rock
from flying onto other vehicles. Crews will sweep roadway, but expect some loose rock to be present for several days after chip
seal.
Bicycle riders should be prepared for traveling on rock chip covered highway sections behind a pilot car with no usable shoulders.
Use alternate routes or delay travel if possible to avoid chip seal work zone. Pedestrians, including those with disabilities, will be
provided access through or around the work zone.
RANCHERS, FARMERS, PROPERTY OWNERS: Please keep farm equipment off the impacted highway sections
during and up to two days after the chip sealing. Also, adjust irrigation pivots and lawn sprinklers to keep water off
the roadway. If you have plans for moving livestock on these highway sections, please advise Lee McDannel at
541-823-4030.
We greatly appreciate your support and cooperation during this paving operation.
These are just some of the many highway projects being constructed this year.
For more info on this and other eastern Oregon highway construction project contact Tom Strandberg at 541-963-1330, email:
thomas.m.strandberg@odot.state.or.us. For update road conditions check TripCheck.com or call 511, or (800)977-6368.
S200670-1
Project Location Map
SATURDAY AUGUST 15th
4PM • LOCATION TBA
Options to bid on youth market animals:
1. In person. Strict social distancing guidelines
must be followed.
2. Over the phone bidding by calling into one of
the sale day phones.
3. Online bidding by logging in and creating an
account through LiveAuctions.TV
After August 1st, you may set up an account
with LiveAuctions.TV. If you need assistance,
call (208) 599-2962
Contacts for sale:
Ben Holliday: 541-620-0521
Shannon Springer: 541-377-8354
Lindy Cruise: 208-240-0916
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SEE ATTACHED MAP WITH PROJECT LOCATIONS