MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
NEWS
A7
Grant Union and Humbolt Elementary move to distance learning
Two cases confirmed
in school district
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant Union and Humbolt
Elementary are closing their
doors because of the local
COVID-19 outbreak.
Grant School District 3
made the decision last week
for Grant Union Junior-Senior
High School and Humbolt
Elementary School to tran-
sition to comprehensive dis-
tance learning according to a
press release from the district.
The district has two con-
firmed cases of COVID-19 at
Humbolt Elementary as case
numbers rise in the county.
The transition to distance
learning started Monday.
Grant School District
Superintendent Bret Uptmor
said the schools will antici-
pate reopening on Nov. 30 if
the number of cases go down.
“We are looking at this
through the lens of keeping
staff and students safe,” Upt-
mor said. “We are also looking
at this through the lens of mak-
ing sure we’re back on site as
quick as we can because we
know, for a lot of our students,
that’s the best source of educa-
tion they have.”
Uptmor said the district
received a call from the Grant
County Health Department
that confirmed there were pos-
itive cases of COVID-19 at
Humbolt Elementary.
“At that point, I was in a
spot where I needed to make
sure we’re safely operating
our schools, and if we have
a case that’s in our schools,
that’s where we need to step
back, close the schools down
and wait for this to pass.” Upt-
mor said. “... I say wait for the
cases to die back down, and
we anticipate we’ll be back
inside on Nov. 30 unless we
continue to see the commu-
nity spread of COVID.”
Uptmor said he appreciates
the school board for support-
ing his recommendations, the
staff for their work preparing
for this situation and for sup-
port from families.
MEALS AVAILABLE
TO PICK UP
Breakfast and lunch for children 18
and younger can be picked up at
Mt. Vernon park, the bowling alley
parking lot in John Day, the Seventh
Street Complex near the pond in
John Day and at Humbolt Elemen-
tary. The meals can be picked up
from 7:30-8 a.m. for breakfast and
at 12:30-1 p.m. for lunch Mondays
through Thursdays.
Eagle file photo
Grant School District Superintendent Bret Uptmor.
School districts in Mon-
ument, Dayville and Prairie
City will continue their cur-
rent plans with on-site teach-
ing. Long Creek will continue
distance learning.
Administrators in each dis-
trict are monitoring the rise of
COVID-19 cases and are con-
tinuing to work with the health
department to ensure that stu-
dents and staff are safe in their
respective districts.
“In the updated metrics, the
test positivity portion could
become problematic to our
small county, but as a small
district we are doing every-
thing we can to help ensure
our students continue to
receive in-person instruction
as long as it is safe,” Monu-
ment Superintendent Laura
Thomas said.
Gov. Brown orders social slowdown in five counties over COVID-19 spike
Baker, Malheur, Umatilla
among counties on the list
By Gary A. Warner
Oregon Capital Bureau
Nine Oregon counties must have
a “social pause” for two weeks to
fight a spike in COVID-19 infections
that led to a record 805 new cases on
Thursday and nearly as many Friday.
“We are seeing in real time how
this virus can quickly snowball out
of control,” Brown said at an after-
noon press conference. “We cannot
let up now, in fact we have to go on
the offense.”
Baker, Clackamas, Jackson, Mal-
heur, Marion, Multnomah, Umatilla,
Union and Washington counties are
under the new restrictions, which are
applied to larger counties that have
over 200 cases per 100,000 people.
Counties of fewer than 30,000 people
can have no more than 60 cases over
a two-week period.
In order to allow businesses to
prepare, the “pause” will begin Nov.
11 and last through Nov. 25 — the
Wednesday before the Thanksgiving
holiday.
Restrictions include:
• Businesses are asked to allow
employees to work from home.
• Reducing restaurant capacity to
fewer than 50 people, including cus-
tomers and staff. A table can have no
more than six customers.
• Reducing the maximum capac-
ity of other indoor activities to 50
people. The governor gave gyms,
fitness centers, bowling alleys, ice
rinks, indoor sports facilities, pools,
and museums as examples.
• A halt to indoor visits of people
at long-term health care facilities.
• Limit gatherings in households
to six people or fewer if it includes
people from outside your household.
• Residents of the counties should
reduce the frequency of social gath-
erings and keep the same six people
in their social circle.
None of the restrictions apply to
religious institutions, Brown said.
The surge in cases in Oregon
reflects a national and worldwide
upward trend. Through Monday,
Oregon has reported 51,155 cases
PMG file photo/Jaime Valdez
Gov. Kate Brown, at a May press
event, wearing her social distancing
mask in public.
and 734 deaths.
Nationwide, there have been
10.18 million, with 239,000
deaths, according to the Johns
Hopkins Coronavirus Resource
Center.
Worldwide, there have been
over 51.24 million cases and 1.26
million deaths, the center said.
“This is not like the flu,” said
Dean Sidelinger, the state’s chief
expert on infectious diseases.
“There is a 20 times higher death
rate than the flu.”
Additional actions — includ-
ing business closures — could be
ordered if the spike in COVID-19
cases isn’t brought under control.
“I don’t want to do that,” Brown
said, urging for voluntary compli-
ance, adding she knew “the actions
I took in March again later in the
year have been really harsh on our
businesses.”
Linn County is also close to the
limits, Brown said. Its status will
be reviewed as new information
comes in. Additional actions could
be taken soon.
The new lists replace what was
previously the Governor’s Watch
List of counties.
Brown called on Congress and
President Trump to provide aid to
states and their residents to replace
funds that will stop at the end of
the year. She called for another
$600 weekly benefit in enhanced
Federal Pandemic Unemployment
Compensation.
“It is incumbent on our federal
government to get their act together
and to assist,” she said.
Oregon is currently averaging 578
new COVID-19 cases a day, with
12.5% of tests for the virus com-
ing back as positive. Health officials
have said a 5% rate is needed for the
virus to be kept in check.
On Monday, the Oregon Health
Authority reported 723 new cases,
and Multnomah County reported
204 new cases, the most in the state.
Washington County had 119 cases.
Four more deaths were reported,
for a total of 734.
There were 25 new cases in
Deschutes County, 11 in Umatilla
County and two in Clatsop County.
Other county case totals: Baker
(1), Benton (8), Clackamas (68),
Columbia (4), Coos (6), Crook (2),
Douglas (21), Grant (4), Jackson
(41), Jefferson (5), Josephine (2),
Klamath (10), Lane (36), Linn (17),
Malheur (7), Marion (79), Morrow
(1), Polk (16), Union (13) and Yam-
hill (18).
For your service...
For your sacrifi ce...
For our freedom!
We thank you!
“Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of
courage and the soul.” ~ John F. Kennedy
John Day Elk’s Lodge
140 NE Dayton St., John Day
541-575-1824
Grant County Chamber of Commerce
301 W Main St., John Day
541-575-0547
S215106-1
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