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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 2020)
NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A11 Umatilla County on two-week ‘pause’ as COVID-19 cases rise By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Umatilla County is among nine Oregon coun- ties on a two-week “social pause” to try to slow down a sudden surge in COVID-19 infections in the state. From Nov. 11 to Nov. 25, counties included in the pause must reduce the capacity of restaurants, bars, gyms, bowling alleys and other indoor recreation facil- ities to no more than 50 peo- ple at a time, with tables at restaurants seating no more than six. Churches are exempt from the 50-person limit. All indoor visits to long- term care facilities are halted. Businesses are asked to have all employees able to work from home to do so. Individuals must limit their social gatherings to six peo- ple or fewer when includ- ing people from outside their household, and every- one is asked to reduce the frequency of social gather- ings altogether and try to limit their contact circle to no more than six people out- side their household. As part of the pause, Hermiston School Dis- trict suspended all in-per- son activities until further notice, including the limited in-person instruction that had been taking place for special education and New- comers students, and onsite extra-curricular activities, including sports practices and conditioning. “I am heartbroken over this turn of events,” Super- intendent Dr. Tricia Mooney said in a statement. “These student interactions — teacher to student and with peers — is vital to the well being of all involved, stu- dents and adults!” Veterans Day activities were also canceled or mod- ifi ed, including the Herm- iston Chamber of Com- merce’s planned parade. After Umatilla County successfully brought down its COVID-19 cases fol- lowing a major surge over the summer, the county’s cases are rising once again, as is the percentage of tests coming back positive. In the seven days between Nov. 3-9, the county reported 160 new cases of COVID-19. Meanwhile, statewide, Oregon surpassed 600 cases in a single day on Oct. 31 and since then has seen cases continue to shoot up, with an average of 740 new cases per day last week. On Monday, Nov. 9, the state reported 269 hospitaliza- tions of COVID-19 patients, sparking worries from health offi cials that Oregon was headed toward maxing out its hospital capacity. “We’ve been nervous with how these rates are going,” Umatilla County Public Health Director Joe Fiumara said. “I think we’ve felt here that we’ve been able to stay on top of it — our hospitals have been able to stay relatively available, our tracers have been able to follow up within 24 hours — but you never know when you’re going to get to that point where you’re not doing that anymore.” Fiumara and state public health offi cials have stated that the latest surges seem to be driven mostly by small, informal social gatherings between family and friends that have then been spread elsewhere by attendees. According to the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention, the most com- mon symptoms of COVID- 19 are fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, head- ache, muscle aches, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea, runny nose or congestion and the loss of taste or smell. In some patients, the virus has caused permanent or long-lasting damage to the heart, lungs, brain or other organs or caused lingering symptoms months after the patients no longer test posi- tive for the virus. For more information, visit oregon.gov/oha/erd/ pages/covid-19-news.aspx. Umatilla Electric receives $3 million federal loan from USDA Money will help customers make their homes energy effi cient cies as guidance is devel- oped for manufactured home replacement legisla- tion signed by the governor in January 2020,” Meyers said. To the extent possible, as a community service, Meyer said the co-op wants to com- bine its no-interest loan with related programs and incen- tives offered by state and federal agencies and Bonne- ville Power Administration. Meyer said Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and the USDA were help- ful in making changes to the Rural Energy Savings Pro- gram to make it more expan- sive and useful for commu- nities, and this loan approval is a good example of that. The Umatilla Elec- tric’s general manager and CEO, Robert Echenrode, expressed his gratitude for what he called the hard work By KATY NESBITT FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD Umatilla Electric Coop- erative received a $3 million federal loan to fi nance major energy effi ciency upgrades that will reduce energy waste and cut costs for resi- dents of Umatilla County. Steve Meyers, Member Services Administrator for Umatilla Electric, said the loan will further the co-op’s existing energy effi ciency program. “In 2018, we received a $1.5 million no-interest loan to begin our Energy Saver Loan program, in which we offer 1.99% loans for resi- dential heat pumps, windows and insulation,” Meyers said. Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald, File Umatilla Electric Cooperative of Hermiston has received a $3 million federal loan to fi nance major energy effi ciency upgrades. Well received by Uma- tilla Electric members and installation contractors, Meyers said the co-op has made 60 loans since Janu- ary 2019. Meyers said the program’s intention is that the monthly energy savings from these improvements will help off- set all or part of the home- owner’s loan. The $3 million the co-op just received from the federal government will pay for the development of a manufactured home replace- ment program. “Through this year, UEC has been working with state and community action agen- and dedication of Oregon’s senators to help co-op mem- bers with their energy needs. “We have experience with the RESP program and this additional federal loan bolsters what we can offer to our members for energy effi - ciency,” Echenrode said. The 20-year loan, admin- istered through the USDA’s Rural Energy Savings Pro- gram, was designed to allow rural electric co-ops to offer their customers low-interest loans to provide affordable fi nancing for energy effi - ciency improvements. Cus- tomers then pay back the loans through the savings on their electric bills. “Throughout this year, the coronavirus crisis has claimed Oregonians’ lives and livelihoods — upending every aspect of our lives,” said Merkley, who serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations sub- committee that oversees funding for the USDA, in a statement. “Now is the time to do all that we can to build a road to recovery, and that road must include the state-of-the-art infrastruc- ture investments our rural communities need to access essential utilities, cut costs, and thrive.” Wyden was also a sup- porter of the program, stat- ing in a news release that, “Smart investments like this loan for the Umatilla Elec- tric Cooperative to help low-income customers make their homes more afford- able to heat this winter are a must for rural Oregonians to weather this economic storm, and I’ll keep battling for communities throughout our state to secure resources like this so they too can be helped in their recovery.” P R SPA LAY IT EMEM CE S AND AFE W BER TO WE ITH AR YOU A LITT R M LE ASK ! 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