Virus: County responds to global emergency
Continued from page 1
in south county, one was in the
Astoria area.
The good news is that Ore-
gon received its shipment of
personal protective equipment
from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
A distribution center in Wil-
sonville is doling out more
than 1 million gloves, 10,000
face shields, 400,000 N95
masks and 50,000 surgical
masks. The goods are head-
ed to all 36 counties and the
state’s nine Indian tribes on or
before Monday, state officials
said.
“Having an adequate sup-
ply of PPE—masks, gowns,
and gloves––is essential for
the safety of first responders
and health care workers,” said
Andrew Phelps, director of
Oregon’s Office of Emergency
Management.
“We’re currently in a global
shortage, but Oregon is work-
ing to replenish our supplies
… through public and private
April 3, 2020
T he C olumbia P ress
8
Warrenton City Commissioner Rick Newton tied bandannas
onto the lion statues that stand guard outside his home on
Ninth Street.
partnerships, distribute those
supplies … and ensure health
care workers and first re-
sponders are protected.”
Clatsop County has received
its allocation, Public Health
Director Mike McNickle said.
Clatsop has developed a
COVID-19 task force with
McNickle as the incident com-
mander and Vincent Aarts as
the planning section chief.
The UPS Store is open as an essential resource for
those who need shipping, postal, and business ser-
vices and to help those working from home.
The team is working with
hospitals, first responders
and others to ensure restau-
rants and bars comply with
closure requirements, and pri-
vate child care providers meet
requirements to care for the
county’s youngest charges.
Priorities include securing
adequate medical supplies
for hospitals, fire department
and medics, better testing of
vulnerable populations, man-
aging volunteers, accommo-
dating medical surge (finding
places for all potential sick
people), developing a plan for
mass fatalities and enforcing
maritime regulations for ships
docked in the river.
“In many ways Clatsop Coun-
ty will be defined by how well
we respond and support our
community
and
partners
during these unprecedented
times,” County Manager Don
Bohn wrote in a letter to coun-
ty employees this week. “While
these are, admittedly, chal-
lenging and uncertain times, I
continue to be gratified by the
resolve, compassion and gen-
erosity of county staff.”
ppe donationS
The county’s COVID-19 task
force is coordinating efforts
to collect personal protective
equipment, including masks,
gowns, gloves and goggles.
The agency will distribute
them to “vulnerable health-
care partners” including local
clinics, long-term care facili-
ties and those first to respond
in emergencies, such as med-
ics.
Local and regional business-
es and nonhealthcare indus-
tries are urged to consider
donating any items that are
disposable or reusable, un-
opened or opened, expired and
not expired.
Donors will receive a dona-
tion letter that can be used for
a tax deduction.
Donations will be accepted
at the Emergency Manage-
ment Office at Camp Rilea.
Check in at the camp’s en-
trance and you’ll be directed
to the office. The supplies will
be redistributed based on pri-
ority need.
For questions and informa-
tion, contact donate@clat-
sopeoc.com or 503-325-8645.
t axeS
The deadline for filing and
paying state and federal taxes
has been extended from April
15 to July 15.
However, those who’ll make
estimated tax payments for
2020 still must pay them ac-
cording to the regular sched-
ule.
The tax year 2019 six-month
extension to file, if requested,
continues to extend the filing
deadline only until Oct. 15.
Taxpayers do not need to file
any additional forms to quali-
fy for the automatic filing and
payment extensions.
S eLf - Serve gaS
The state temporarily sus-
pended the ban on self-service
gas stations.
It makes self-service option-
al, not mandatory.
The intent is to ensure fuel
is available to essential person-
nel who need to travel, accord-
ing to the state’s COVID-19
Statewide Joint Information
Center.
The gas station workforce
has been reduced by as much
as 50 percent due to illness,
childcare issues and safe-
ty concerns.
Unattended self-service will
happen only when a gas sta-
tion owner exhausts all staff-
ing options, the association
said. Stations without atten-
dants are required to post safe-
ty signs for social distancing as
well as instructions for operat-
ing a fuel pump.
B uSineSS heLp
SAIF, the state’s nonprofit
worker’s compensation in-
surance company, set aside
$10 million in the coronavi-
rus worker safety fund avail-
able to the state’s 53,000
SAIF policyholders to use in
increasing safety, reducing
injury and decreasing expo-
sure to the virus.
Eligible expenses must have
been incurred after March 1
and include worksite cleaning
and disinfection supplies, re-
sources to reopen businesses
safely after a coronavirus-re-
lated closure, resources to re-
design or modify workspaces
to encourage social distancing,
and mental health and well-
ness initiatives.
To apply for funding, go on-
line to saif.com and click on
the safety fund link.
B e part of hiStory
Oregon Historical Society
asks residents to consider shar-
ing their coronavirus-related
stories -- personal reflections
on living through the pan-
demic and how isolation from
friends and family has affected
them. What stories of Orego-
nians from the past or present
are giving you courage?
“Some of the most priceless
treasures in the Oregon His-
torical Society collections are
the handwritten diaries and
journals of individuals who
made their way across the Or-
egon Trail,” Director Kerry
Tymchuk said.
“As we persevere through
this new uncharted trail, we
invite Oregonians to document
their thoughts and experiences
and to share them with OHS,
so we, in turn, can share them
with future generations.”
Submit a letter online at ohs.
org and click on the link in the
red strip at the top of the page
or mail it to OHS Research Li-
brary, 1200 S.W. Park Ave.,
Portland 97205.