A4
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Some Oregon businesses plan to open under lower tiered
COVID-19 restrictions, despite governor’s mandates
By Brittany Allen, Emily
Lindstrand, Christopher Keizur
and Teresa Carson
Oregon Capital Bureau
With the support of Sandy
Mayor Stan Pulliam, Estacada
Mayor Sean Drinkwine, Trout-
dale Mayor-elect Randy Lauer
and Gresham City Council-
or-elect Sue Piazza, among oth-
ers, multiple metro area busi-
nesses plan to open to customers
indoors on Friday, Jan. 1. The
protest is being called “Open
Oregon,” and the goal is to high-
light how brutal the state-man-
dated closures have been. Sup-
porters are heralding it as an
exercise of First Amendment
rights.
“Several businesses have
been reaching out to me, and
they’re in panic mode,” Pulliam
said prior to a two-week freeze
called by Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown in November, amid ris-
ing cases of COVID-19
“They were already barely
hanging on as it is. Now they’re
extremely worried that this will
push them over the top, and that
makes me worried about the
future of Main Street economy.”
Similar “Open Oregon”
plans are in place in communi-
ties around the state, including
Redmond.
For months, Pulliam has
been a vocal opponent of the
executive orders implemented
by Brown, which have limited
businesses’ activities, and some
more than others.
The risk of activities is deter-
mined by the Oregon Health
Authority, which uses the fol-
lowing criteria:
• “Can individuals wear a
mask at all times?”
• “Is there space to keep
physical distance between
households?”
• “Are there ways to limit
time of exposure to other
households?”
• “Does the space allow for
increased airflow (such as oper-
ating outdoors or opening win-
dows and doors)? “
• “Will these activities
increase virus spread (such as
singing, shouting and heavy
breathing)?”
Under the current govern-
ment framework, both Mult-
nomah and Clackamas counties
are considered “extreme risk”
areas for the spread of COVID-
19, meaning indoor recreational
facilities like museums, the-
aters and athletic clubs must
remain closed and indoor din-
ing or drink consumption is also
prohibited. Eating and drink-
ing establishments are allowed
to be open with outdoor seat-
ing at a capacity of 50 people,
comprised of parties of six peo-
ple per table from a limit of two
households, maximum. They
also must close by 11 p.m.
The “Open Oregon” move-
ment calls on businesses to oper-
ate under “high risk” restric-
tions — one tier lower than the
“extreme risk” restrictions cur-
rently in place — which allows
for a reduced amount of indoor
dining.
“This isn’t about the gover-
nor. This isn’t about me,” Pull-
iam explained. “This is a move-
ment of self-preservation for
Main Street business owners.
It’s about those folks who have
no other choice but to open.
Why would we not want to take
the compassionate and com-
mon sense change of course
that would allow these business
PMG photo/Emily Lindstrand
Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam and Estacada Mayor Sean Drinkwine
both spoke Dec. 29 at a rally to advocate for local businesses to
open Jan. 1.
owners to open and put employ-
ees back to work in a safe man-
ner that prevents the spread of
COVID-19.”
Both Pulliam and Drink-
wine spoke at a rally in support
of the reopening movement in
Estacada Dec. 29.
“Rural America is bleed-
ing,” Drinkwine said. “It’s about
America standing for America.
We all are America. We’ve got
to get back to work. Without
that, we fall apart.”
“Business owners are want-
ing to follow (the governor’s)
guidelines; they just want to do
it under guidelines that allow
them to open their doors. We’re
wanting to do this in a safe way.
Where’s the evidence to keep
these places closed? What I can
find shows a 1.4% contribution
to COVID spread from restau-
rants and bars,” Pulliam said.
Rallying for the right to
increase revenue
With temperatures drop-
ping, businesses say revenue
from outdoor dining is declin-
ing as well. And the health
clubs, which haven’t been able
to operate since late November,
are feeling the lack of revenue
made worse by a delay in gov-
ernment assistance.
Dean Hurford, owner of
Bumpers Bar & Grill in Fair-
view, is supportive of the open-
ing. Though he takes the threat
of coronavirus very seriously, he
said there is little logic in which
businesses are allowed to be
open, such as Nordstrom’s or
Home Depot, and the ones man-
dated to be shuttered or severely
restricted such as restaurants and
gyms.
“I can go into Home Depot
and walk up and down and
touch everything in the aisle
and nothing is sanitized,” Hur-
ford said. “But you can’t come
into my restaurant where every-
thing is sanitized. We bring you
an individual plate, salt and pep-
per shakers have been sanitized,
the waitress is wearing a mask.”
The restrictions have been
devastating for restaurants, with
some closing permanently.
Bumpers wasn’t immune to
those struggles. As a result of the
constraints, Hurford slashed his
workforce from about 40 people
to nine. His daily sales dropped
from $5,000-$8,000 to around
$1,000 a day.
Likewise, Mark Eisenzim-
mer, president of Cascade Ath-
letic Clubs, said gyms have not
been a big vector for spreading
the virus and can open safely
with proper precautions.
“It just doesn’t make sense.
There is no science here,” he
said. “We’re not being reckless
or cavalier.”
Eisenzimmer also pointed
out that exercise is “an antidote”
to the stress, depression and con-
finement many are experiencing
due to the pandemic.
At Eagle Creek Saloon,
owner Liz Mitchell and man-
ager Megan Freauff said, if they
don’t reopen in a limited capac-
ity, the establishment may not be
around a year from now.
“When employees don’t
have a job, it’s horrible. It’s a
horrible feeling when you have
employees that maybe can’t
afford their electric bill. That’s
weighed on us a lot this year,”
Freauff said. “We care for our
employees. We care for our
community, and we need to
open. If we don’t open, some
people don’t even have two
weeks.”
Mitchell is also the owner of
the Carver Hanger and the Red-
land Cafe. All three locations
will open with reduced in-per-
son seating on Jan. 1.
“We’re going to follow all
of the rules,” Mitchell said.
“Face masks will be required.
For social distancing, we’re
going to close off tables, and no
loitering.”
“We are all going to be as
safe as you possibly can, but we
need to open. Our employees
are bleeding,” Freauff added.
Business at the restaurant has
been slower while solely relying
on takeout — which has also led
to increased costs from more
use of items like to-go contain-
ers and individually packaged
condiments.
Both Mitchell and Freauff
feel there is a double standard
between what the COVID-19
restrictions allow larger stores
and smaller businesses to do.
“We can still go to Costco.
We can still go to Walmart and
John Day
those big chains. These small
mom and pop places that make
our communities and our coun-
try thrive are not able to thrive,”
Freauff said.
They also respect the fact
that some customers may not
be comfortable dining in at this
time.
“If you’re not comfort-
able coming into the restaurant,
we’re OK with that,” Freauff
said.
Mitchell is concerned with
potential fines associated with
reopening but, ultimately,
believes it’s the right thing to do.
“I’ve had a few sleepless
nights, but I feel like, if we don’t
take a stand and show our pres-
ence and what business owners
need and want, then we don’t
have any room to complain. If
you’re not willing to do some-
thing to be part of the solu-
tion, you can’t complain about
the problem,” she said. “We’re
not asking for full capacity,
we’re not asking for free for all,
where we take off our masks
and spread things. We are ask-
ing for a compromise and a way
for slowing the spread, and also
keeping small business alive ...
Our country was founded on
free enterprise and people work-
ing hard, doing the right thing
and getting ahead. And I think,
if we kill that, we’re in for a lot
of trouble.”
“We feel hopeless, help-
less. No one to turn to,” said Ria
Brower, owner of Sandy Family
Restaurant and Rias’ Bar. “The
governor has drugged (sic) us
along for months, and there is
no scientific evidence to back
up her decisions … All we’re
asking is that we get treated the
same … We would like to make
a living also. I have bills that go
out every month with no money
coming in. I also have kids to
feed. And I’ve worked really
hard for the last nine years to
build my business.”
We want to thank everyone who
took gift tags and donated food
for the Prairie City Fire Depart-
ment Christmas Basket Program.
A special thank you to the people
behind the scenes:
DMV
office
is open by appointment
Prairie City School
Prairie City Ranger
District
Huffman’s Market
Georgia Patterson
Lyn McDonald
Marvin Rynearson
Bobbie Brown
Louella Simrell
and ready to serve you.
Chase Hageman
Andy Hutsell
Arleen Lynch
Kollin Hutsell
Chris Camarena
Carla Wright
John Titus
Carole Garrison
Sharon Thissell
Alaina DeHart
Tom Gangler
Cynthia Jackson
Elizabeth DeHart
Carol Waggoner
and Prairie City
Community 4H
Group
Tonya Wood
Happy New Year!
Visit www.oregondmv.com to
make your appointment today
or call 541-575-1503.
S223739-1
2021
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interest!
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next Y
Our
Christmas Club
began in 1959!
Now’s the perfect time to
Join the Club for
2021 *
Inquire at your
JOHN DAY, PRAIRIE CITY
& BURNS branches.
S223886-1
Some local officials
support the ‘Open
Oregon’ effort
* RESTRICTIONS APPLY
Member FDIC
S221814-1
Member FDIC