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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 2020)
STATE MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, November 4, 2020 A9 New rules could return 130,000 more students to school this month Brown: ‘We need to give Oregonians hope and encouragement’ By Jackson Hogan and Gary A. Warner EO Media Group Oregon is simplifying the COVID-19 infection stan- dards that schools must meet to get students back in the classroom for the first time since March, Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday. “We need to give Orego- nians hope and encourage- ment,” Brown said about the changes. Brown made the announce- ment at a press conference along with Colt Gill, direc- tor of the Oregon Department of Education, and Dr. Tom Jeanne, deputy state epidemi- ologist at the Oregon Health Authority. The new rules will move the focus to infection rates based on individual coun- ties rather than any state- wide measurement. While the majority of students in the state will likely be required to continue with distance learn- ing, an estimated 130,000 could return to the classroom as early as this month. Brown said she believed the moves were the best way forward for the state, despite rapidly rising COVID-19 infections that led Oregon to report 600 cases on Friday, a new daily record. “Our updated metrics are based on the latest COVID-19 studies and data, are aligned with CDC recommendations, and bring Oregon in sync with the standards of other states like California,” Brown said. “They also help us meet our priority of returning stu- dents to in-person instruc- tion. These metrics still place a very high bar for low case counts to open schools, while at the same time provid- ing more flexibility for our younger students.” The Oregon Health Authority has reported 46,460 positive cases and 701 deaths from COVID-19 since it first appeared in the state in February. As in much of the country, the numbers are on the rise after a late summer lull. The New York Times said Friday that its analysis of local and state health records put Oregon’s 14-day average of cases up 23%. The Johns Hopkins Coro- navirus Resource Center reported Tuesday there have been 9.36 million cases of COVID-19 in the United States this year, with 232,374 deaths. Cases have been spik- ing worldwide, with several European governments once again instituting shutdown and stay-at-home orders. COVID-19 has infected 47.3 million people and led to 1.21 million deaths worldwide. Brown and the other state Eagle file photo School is back in session with students at Prairie City School hav- ing the option to return to the classroom or learn online. officials said students doing distance-only learning are much more likely to struggle with materials. Students who also depend on schools for meals and services such as mental health counseling are not having their needs met. Without citing specific statis- tics, health officials said stud- ies since the beginning of the pandemic have shown that students returning to class are not a major spreader of infec- tion among themselves or their communities. Decisions over when a school would be ready to resume teaching would shift to local school districts and county health officials. They would have to meet state “metrics” on infection rates, which would be reviewed by the Oregon departments of health and education. In a major change, the state said that meeting standards for elementary schools would allow students from kinder- garten through sixth grade to return to class. Previously, students were split into K-3 and 4-6 groups, each needing to meet separate standards to be allowed to return. Under the system, there are four color-coded categories: Green Zone: All stu- dents from kindergarten to 12th grade would be allowed to return to class. A county must now have fewer than 50 cases per 100,000 resi- dents in a two-week average. Smaller-population counties would have to show less than 30 total cases over that two- week period. The percentage of positive infections would have to be below 5%. Yellow Zone: Students in elementary school grades K-6 could be taught in per- son, or in a hybrid program with some classroom time but some learning done online. The state still recommends that older students do class- work from home. To reach the standard, the number of positive COVID-19 infec- tions would have to remain between 50 and 99.9 per 100,000, while the positive test rate in the county would have to be 5% to 7.9%. Small county case numbers could be between 30 and 44 in a two- week period. Orange Zone: State offi- cials called this a “tran- sitional” zone that would prepare counties for improve- ments to reach the yellow zone. Counties in the cat- egory could have 100-200 cases per 100,000 residents and positive test rate of 8% to 10%. Small counties could report 45-60 cases over two weeks. Red Zone: No in-person teaching would be allowed in counties with more than 200 cases per 100,000 residents. Small counties in the cate- gory would report more than 60 cases in two weeks. It also covers those with a positive test rate above 10%. Any school district cur- rently teaching students in person that is in the red zone must transition all students back to distance learning by Jan. 4, 2021. Brown’s office sent the media a list of counties that were eligible, partly eligible and not eligible to re-open school. Not eligible: Crook, Har- ney, Jackson, Lane, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Umatilla, Wash- ington, Yamhill. Eligible for K-6: Ben- ton, Clackamas, Columbia, Coos, Deschutes, Douglas, Polk, Wallowa, Wasco, Lake, Lincoln. Eligible for K-12: Baker, Clatsop, Curry, Gilliam, Grant, Hood River, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath. The ability to keep stu- dents in school will depend on efforts in their communi- ties to limit the spread of the virus. “These metrics depend on the public doing its part to reduce Oregon’s case rates so that all of our children can return to in-person instruc- tion,” said Gill, the Depart- ment of Education direc- tor. “Oregonians can reduce spread and send our kids back to school by wearing a face covering, maintaining distance, washing hands fre- quently, and avoiding group gatherings.” Brown said Oregonians should rethink plans of trav- eling and celebrating Hallow- een, Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. Gatherings should be small and limited to immediate family or a few friends. If infection numbers con- tinue to rise, Brown said all options were still “on the table,” including business clo- sures and other restrictions. Fire damages historic Peavy Cabin By Jayson Jacoby EO Media Group Worst day ever for COVID-19 cases in Oregon 600 new cases Friday is the highest daily number yet By Suzanne Roig Oregon Capital Bureau Oregon recorded 600 cases of COVID-19 Friday, the highest number since the start of the pandemic in March, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Multnomah County alone reported 152 new cases. Wash- ington County reported 91. “Preliminary data show this increase reflects contin- ued widespread community transmission resulting in small clusters and outbreaks state- wide,” the OHA said in a daily update. Some of the cases are com- ing from gatherings of friends, coworkers, household con- tacts, travel and workplace exposure, said Deschutes County Health Department spokesperson Morgan Emer- son. And as temperatures cool, people are spending more time indoors. “This can increase risk if you are spending time with people you don’t live with,” Emerson said. “You should wear a mask and distance any time you’re around people you don’t live with and social- ize outdoors if possible.” The record number of pos- itive test results prompted health authorities to ask par- ents to not let their kids trick-or-treat on Halloween and to avoid costume par- ties with people outside their household. Officials also urge resi- dents to wear a face covering indoors when coming in con- tact with people outside their household. On Monday, the Oregon Health Authority reported one more COVID-19 death, bring- ing the total number of deaths to 692 in Oregon. The most recent death was a 90-year-old woman in Multnomah County. Nationwide, the number of cases reached 46.8 million with 231,263 deaths, accord- ing to Johns Hopkins Univer- sity of Medicine coronavirus information. Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Peavy Cabin was built in 1934 by George Peavy, dean of the School of Forestry at Oregon State University. The Forest Ser- vice later acquired the cabin. A fire on Tuesday night damaged the his- toric Peavy Cabin in the Elkhorn Moun- tains. the outside of the cabin in one area. The hunters spent much of the night pouring water on the fire, Cikanek said. North Powder Rural Fire Protection District and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest fire staff arrived early Wednesday, Oct. 28, and confirmed that there was no heat left, he said. Jay Moore, recreation specialist for the Wallowa-Whitman National For- est, said: “Clearly, the cabin will need to be repaired, although we are relieved to see that it remains sealed from the win- ter weather. We will also explore alterna- tives to firewood heat to reduce the risk of a future fire.” Peavy Cabin was slated to close for the season on Oct. 31 regardless. 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Hunters renting a historic U.S. Forest Service log cabin in the Elkhorn Moun- tains doused a fire that spread from the cabin’s fireplace to a wall and the ceiling on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Their efforts saved Peavy Cabin, built in 1934, said Kendall Cikanek, Whitman District ranger. No one was hurt in the fire. The cabin, along the North Fork of the John Day River between Anthony Lakes and Granite, was built in 1934 by George Wilcox Peavy, then dean of the School of Forestry at Oregon State University. A Forest Service employee, Larry Bilyeu, restored the cabin in the early 1990s. The Forest Service makes the cabin available for rent through a contract administered by Anthony Lakes Moun- tain Resort. “While the fire at Peavy Cabin was an unfortunate incident, it was also a shin- ing example of cooperation and shared stewardship,” said Kendall Cikanek, Whitman District Ranger. “Everyone is safe, and the cabin is still standing, and that is thanks to a coordinated response from the hunters staying at the cabin, the North Powder Rural Fire Protection District, and Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort.” The fire started when heat escaped from the fireplace chimney, setting fire to a wall and the cabin’s ceiling, accord- ing to Kendall Cikanek, Whitman Dis- trict Ranger. Flames burned a section of logs on 7-Year Extended Warranty* A $695 Value! Off er valid August 24, 2020 - December 31, 2020 Special Financing Available Subject to Credit Approval *Terms & Conditions Apply