NEWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
Morrow County
moves to Phase 2
State removes
Umatilla, Morrow
counties from watchlist
By ALEX CASTLE
STAFF WRITER
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan, File
A sign outside of Hermiston’s temporary city hall advises people to wear a mask on Tuesday,
Sept. 1, 2020.
Umatilla County
COVID-19 cases drop
By JADE MCDOWELL
and ALEX CASTLE
STAFF WRITERS
Umatilla County reported
six new confi rmed COVID-
19 cases on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The number brings the
county to 55 new cases in
the seven days from Sept.
16-22. As of Sept. 22 Uma-
tilla County Public Health
reported there were 152 pre-
sumptive cases in the county,
defi ned as people who
are exhibiting symptoms
of COVID-19 after being
exposed to someone who
tested positive, but has not
received a test result.
The county reported one
resident was hospitalized
with COVID-19 as of Sept.
22, and a total of 41 resi-
dents have died after testing
positive for the virus. The
most recent COVID-19 death
reported was a 97-year-old
woman with underlying con-
ditions, who died Sept. 8 at
Regency Hermiston Nursing
and Rehabilitation Center.
Hermiston has had the
most cases of COVID-19
in the county since the pan-
demic began, according to
the Oregon Health Authority,
with 1,512 confi rmed cases.
In order to meet the Ore-
gon Department of Edu-
cation’s metrics to reopen
schools in the county, Uma-
‘DRIVE-THRU TESTING FOR
COVID HAS BECOME SOMEWHAT
MAINSTREAM. AS WE ARE HOPING
FOR A VACCINE TO BE COMING OUT
RELATIVELY SOON, WE’RE TRYING
TO GET OURSELVES IN PLACE AND
PREPARED FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.’
Joe Fiumara, Umatilla County public health director
tilla County must have no
more than eight new cases of
COVID-19 per week for three
weeks in a row to bring all
students back, and 24 cases a
week to bring just kindergar-
ten through third grade back,
along with a test positivity
rate of less than 5%.
About 15% of the county’s
tests have come back positive
in recent weeks. A total of
15,592 tests have been con-
ducted on Umatilla County
residents since the pandemic
began, with 2,774 com-
ing back positive, according
to Umatilla County Public
Health.
Umatilla County is begin-
ning to lay the groundwork
at its health department for
the capacity to administer
COVID-19 vaccines when
they become available. The
Umatilla County Board of
Commissioners
approved
expanding a nursing posi-
tion at the health department
to full time and the purchase
of canopies that could be used
for both drive-thru testing and
vaccination events at its meet-
ing on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
“Drive-thru testing for
COVID has become some-
what mainstream,” said Uma-
tilla County Public Health
Director Joe Fiumara. “As we
are hoping for a vaccine to be
coming out relatively soon,
we’re trying to get ourselves
in place and prepared for that
to happen.”
Both moves made Sept. 16
can initially be used to bol-
ster vaccination programs
the health department already
runs for the fl u, Fiumara
noted, and canopies may be
especially necessary for try-
ing to administer large-scale
vaccination events during
inclement weather this winter.
“Pendleton Music Co. cares about our
community and want them to remain safe,
so masks are required in our showroom.”
Two Eastern Oregon
counties made progress in
the long road of recovering
from the coronavirus pan-
demic on Friday, Sept. 18.
Gov.
Kate
Brown
announced in a press release
that Morrow County was
moving into Phase 2 of
reopening, and it and Uma-
tilla County were both
removed from the state’s
COVID-19 watchlist.
“I want to commend
county offi cials and com-
munity members in Uma-
tilla and Morrow Counties
for stepping up and working
together to reduce the spread
of COVID-19,” Brown
stated in the release.
The third time was the
charm for Morrow County
getting to Phase 2, which
had two previous requests
denied by the state after
being moved back to Phase
1 on July 30.
Indoor and outdoor recre-
ation and entertainment ven-
ues, such as movie theaters
and pools, are able to reopen
in Phase 2, in addition to
restaurants and bars being
permitted to stay open until
10 p.m. and large gatherings
being capped at 50 people.
In order for a county to
enter Phase 2 of reopening,
it must meet prerequisites
set by the state that include
six metrics involving trends
of hospitalizations, new
cases, tracing and testing, in
addition to reporting a case
rate below 100 cases per
100,000 people.
According to the Ore-
gon Health Authority, Mor-
row County recorded 15
new cases the week of Sept.
6-12, good for a case rate of
118.3 per 100,000. Though
that was its lowest case rate
since at least June, Morrow
County also recorded a pos-
itive test rate of 28.9%, its
highest in over a month.
That uptrend in positive
test rate also means Morrow
County is failing to meet one
of the additional six met-
rics. Morrow County’s pos-
itive test rate for COVID-
19 hasn’t fallen below 20%
since at least the start of July.
While data published by
the Oregon Health Authority
suggested the county wasn’t
eligible for Phase 2, Morrow
County pleaded for the state
to evaluate its response to
the virus and the impacts of
reopening more businesses
holistically.
“We don’t have a the-
ater. We don’t have a bowl-
ing alley. We don’t have a
sports venue,” said Mor-
row County Commissioner
Melissa Lindsay. “So from
Phase 1 to Phase 2, what
really happens?”
Lindsay said the county
had that conversation with
Oregon Health Authority
Director Pat Allen on Sept.
18 and communicated their
belief that any changes from
Phase 1 to Phase 2 would
have limited impact on the
spread of the virus.
“While Morrow County
still must make additional
progress in reducing its
COVID-19 case count to
fully meet all metrics for
Phase 2, the county also
lacks the types of facilities
and large venues that are eli-
gible to reopen in Phase 2,”
the press release stated.
According to the press
release, Morrow County is
also being removed from the
county watch list along with
Umatilla County, which
entered Phase 2 of reopen-
ing on Sept. 11.
While removal from the
watch list has essentially
no impact on the county’s
operations or response to
the virus, Umatilla County
Commissioner John Shafer
called the news a “PR win”
for the county.
“It doesn’t do a whole
lot other than taking us out
of the spotlight of the watch
list,” Shafer said.
The watch list is intended
to inform state policymak-
ers and the Oregon Health
Authority about the spread
of COVID-19 in individual
counties and assist in prior-
itizing resources for those
counties.
The state uses data on
sporadic COVID-19 cases
to determine whether a
county will be on the watch
list, meaning it’s deter-
mined by the number and
rate of cases that can’t be
traced to a known source of
transmission.
A county is added to the
watch list if it reports more
than fi ve sporadic cases and
a sporadic case rate that
exceeds 50 sporadic cases
per 100,000 people during a
two-week span.
According to the Oregon
Health Authority’s county
watch list data, Umatilla
County’s two-week sporadic
case rate averaged just under
60 cases per 100,000 in the
weeks between Aug. 9 and
Sept. 5.
Umatilla County Public
Health Director Joe Fiumara
said the county recorded 38
cases that couldn’t be traced
to a known source from
Aug. 30-Sept. 12, good for a
two-week sporadic case rate
of 46.8 per 100,000 people.
facebook.com/HermistonHerald
AS A THANK YOU TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS
DURING THIS PANDEMIC, WE ARE OFFERING A
FALL APPRECIATION SALE!
PENDLETON MUSIC CO.
541-567-3278
465 W. Theater Lane
Hermiston, OR
Mon-Sat 9am-5:30pm
Sun 11am-4pm
“Where flowers are our business”
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WALLOWA
COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
• Wear a mask in public
• Avoid indoor gatherings
• Stay 6 feet away from others • Wash your hands frequently
Help Reopen
Umatilla County
Wearing a mask saves jobs and saves lives
APPLICATIONS DUE: September 28, 2020 at 5pm at
Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce Office
COMPENSATION: Range $42,000 - $52,000
POSITION TITLE: Executive Director
STATUS: Full Time and reside in Wallowa County
COMPENSATION: Salary Range $42,000 - $52,000
BENEFITS: Vacation, Holiday, Sick Leave, and Simple IRA
SCOPE: The Executive Director is the face of the
Chamber and is responsible for implementing
the mission and work plan of the organi-
zation. This individual provides leadership
within the Chamber and the community,
helping create a favorable “business and
living” environment in Wallowa County.
ACCOUNTABILITY: The Director is responsible to the Board of
Directors and reports directly to the President.
APPLY BY RESUME: Please include a letter of introduction and
resume. Resume is to include contact infor-
mation, education, work history (including
starting and ending dates), and three
references (2 professional and 1 personal).
Send resumes to:
Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 427, Ste B, Enterprise Oregon 97828
Email: info@wallowacounty.org,
541 426-4622
It’s a Way
of Living!
The Wallowa County Chamber Board
of Directors is looking for a special in-
dividual to fill this unique opportunity.
Desired professional attributes include
but are not limited to:
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Dynamic approach to creativity, ini-
tiative, collaboration, and leadership.
• Enthusiasm to effectively work in a
community and regional partnerships.
• Exceptional customer service skills.
OVERALL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS,
AND ABILITIES
•Strong leadership and organizational
skills.
• Strong verbal and written communi-
cations skills.
• Knowledge of financial processes
used in non-profit organizations.
• Skilled with various computer
programs.
• Strong marketing and promotional
skills.
QUALIFICATIONS
College degree in business administra-
tion, marketing, planning and/or other
related field, or equivalent experience.