BUSINESS
Wednesday, december 9, 2020
HermIsTOnHeraLd.cOm • A7
OHA expands weekly reports UEC to return
Workplace outbreak lists
include active outbreaks
in Umatilla and morrow
counties
By JADE MCDOWELL
neWs edITOr
The Oregon Health
Authority has expanded its
weekly reports on COVID-
19, including its workplace
outbreaks list.
The department previ-
ously sent out a single doc-
ument on Wednesdays,
summing up COVID-19 sta-
tistics for the week prior and
listing outbreaks at work-
places and nursing homes.
Last week, it began pub-
lishing three documents
— a more in-depth look at
COVID-19 statistics in the
state, a report of the number
of cases per ZIP code, and
an outbreaks report.
The new outbreaks report
lists outbreaks of COVID-
19 in workplaces, in nursing
homes and other congregate
care facilities, in child care
facilities and cases among
K-12 students and staff.
The workplace outbreak
list reports jobsites with at
least 30 employees and at
least five cases linked to
the site, whether through
employees testing positive
or close contacts of those
employees testing positive.
The outbreaks report
published on Wednesday,
Dec. 2, shows 11 Umatilla
County and Morrow County
workplaces that were pre-
viously on the list of active
outbreaks, including Lamb
Weston Hermiston, Hermis-
ton Walmart and Two Riv-
ers Correctional Institution,
have recently been moved to
the “resolved” category after
going more than 30 days
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald, File
Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton
represents the largest workplace outbreak of COVID-19 in
Umatilla County, according to Oregon Health Authority.
with no new cases among
employees or their close
contacts.
It also shows few new
outbreaks in the area, leav-
ing Umatilla and Morrow
counties with 12 jobsites
currently on the list of active
outbreaks. Some have never
moved off the list after ini-
tial outbreaks over the sum-
mer, while others have
returned after previously
being moved to the resolved
category, and then seeing
new cases.
Those workplaces are:
• Eastern Oregon Cor-
rectional Institution in
Pendleton, 520 cases
(first case reported July
8)
• Lamb Weston East in
Boardman, 90 cases since
July 13
• Walmart Distribution
Center in Hermiston, 87
cases since June 30
• Good Shepherd Health
Care System in Hermis-
ton, 73 cases since July
16
• Lamb Weston Pac
Center in Boardman, 59
cases since July 1
• Home Depot in Herm-
iston, 18 cases since July
24
• Marlette Homes, 12
cases since Nov. 16
• Shearer’s Foods in
Hermiston, 12 cases
since Nov. 16
• Keystone RV in Pend-
leton, 10 cases since Nov.
16
• Lamb Weston West in
Boardman, 10 cases since
Nov. 9
• Smith Frozen Foods
in Weston, 10 cases since
Nov. 17
• Earl Brown & Sons in
Milton-Freewater, nine
cases since Oct. 28
The senior care report
lists all senior care facili-
ties, such as nursing homes
and assisted living options,
where at least three cases
of COVID-19 have been
reported in the past 28 days.
The Dec. 2 report lists:
• Avamere at Hermiston
with 45 cases and three
deaths of residents with
COVID-19
• Regency Hermiston
Nursing & Rehabilitation
Center, with 5 new cases
of COVID-19 since Nov.
11
• Guardian
Angel
Homes in Hermiston with
4 cases
The child care section of
the report shows child care
facilities with capacity for
at least 16 children with at
least two cases of COVID-
19 in the past 28 days among
children, staff or close con-
tacts of children or staff. The
Dec. 2 report shows:
• Room to Bloom Day
Care in Pendleton, six
cases
• Good Shepherd Chil-
dren’s Center in Hermis-
ton, two cases
The school section of the
report includes schools that
have offered some form of
in-person instruction this
year, such as the limited
in-person instruction for
special education students.
It lists all staff and students
that have tested positive for
COVID-19 in the past 28
days, regardless of whether
they have been in the school
building at all.
In west Umatilla County
and Morrow County the
Dec. 2 report shows:
• Stanfield Elementary
School, two students and
one employee
• Heppner High School,
one student
• Riverside High School
in Boardman, one student
and one employee
• AC Houghton Ele-
mentary School in Board-
man, one employee
• Armand Larive Mid-
dle School in Hermiston,
two employees
• Hermiston
High
School, one student and
one employee
• Sam Boardman Ele-
mentary School in Board-
man, one student
For more reports from
OHA, including hospital-
izations, testing, and cases
broken down by demo-
graphics and ZIP codes,
visit govstatus.egov.com/
OR-OHA-COVID-19.
Club 24 closes at request of OSHA
Fitness center owners
say they complied to
avoid ‘crippling fines’
By JADE MCDOWELL
neWs edITOr
Club 24’s Oregon loca-
tions and the Hermiston Ath-
letic Club are closed at the
request of Oregon’s Occu-
pational Health and Safety
Administration.
The locations, where
people sign up for a monthly
membership in exchange
for use of workout equip-
ment, fitness classes and
other exercise, initially
stated they were staying
open as “wellness centers”
after Gov. Kate Brown ini-
tially ordered gyms and fit-
ness centers to close as part
of the state’s latest COVID-
19 restrictions. But on Nov.
30, Club 24’s Oregon loca-
tions and Hermiston Ath-
letic Club posted identical
messages to their Facebook
pages, stating they would
close effective immediately
“as per Oregon OSHA.”
The message stated that
member accounts would be
frozen and staff would be
furloughed during the holi-
days as a result.
In response to a pub-
lic records request, OSHA
responded that there had
not been fines or other offi-
cial enforcement actions
taken against the businesses
because the owner had vol-
untarily complied with shut-
ting down after being con-
tacted by OSHA.
Customers reacted with
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Hermiston’s Club 24 is shown on Nov. 22, 2020.
disappointment on social
media at the announcement.
In an email to the East Ore-
gonian and Hermiston Her-
ald, Hermiston Club 24
member Chris Waine said he
joined Club 24 about 15 years
ago after exiting the military.
His membership helped him
transition back into civilian
life and work through inju-
ries he suffered as a result of
his service, he said.
“Over these years, I
came to understand many
members suffer from past
physical injury,” he said.
“It would not be untrue to
say that a large majority of
people go because motion
begets motion. Over the
years, we’ve motivated each
other and offered words of
encouragement as we strug-
gle to find balance in pain
management through fitness.
“In other words, the state
views these facilities as rec-
reational. They failed to
realize these facilities pro-
vide a place and equipment
for those of us who gradu-
ate from out patient physical
therapy. These facilities are
as much a necessity as any
outpatient physical therapy
clinic. Let’s not forget also
the mental benefit of physi-
cal fitness.”
In an emailed statement,
Club 24 said they com-
plied with OSHA’s request
in order to avoid “crippling
fines” as they appeal OSHA’s
decision that they fall under
a category that must be shut
down under current COVID-
19 restrictions.
The business cited a study
by the International Health,
Racquet & Sportsclub Asso-
ciation of 50 million check-
ins at exercised-based busi-
nesses in the United States
compared to self-reported
COVID-19 infection rates
of those members, conclud-
ing that safety measures at
gyms and fitness centers
around COVID-19 have
been “incredibly effective”
at keeping members safe
from the virus.
“We are confident that we
are meeting, if not surpass-
ing, the safety measures of
clubs in this study and look
forward to working with
OSHA and the State of Ore-
gon on safely and responsi-
bly operating our business
that so many Oregonians
are dependent upon for their
physical and mental health,”
Club 24’s statement said.
They added that they
appreciate members who
have offered to keep pay-
ing their dues even while
the club is shut down, in
order to help the club sup-
port employees that are
being furloughed during the
closure.
JOSH GOLLER
125 SE 7th St.,
Hermiston, OR
541-289-7261
www.simmonshealthinsurance.partners
$5.1 million to
its customers
By JADE MCDOWELL
neWs edITOr
Umatilla Electric Coop-
erative will be returning
$5.1 million in profits to
its members in December
as part of the cooperative’s
Capital Credits program.
About 8,700 current and
former UEC customers,
who purchased electric-
ity from UEC in 2006 and
2007, will receive a refund,
according to a news release
by UEC.
Checks are scheduled
to be mailed in the sec-
ond week of December,
and the amount is based
on the customer’s elec-
tricity usage during those
years. Amounts under $10
will not be mailed out, but
will be saved and added on
to future refunds until the
total reaches at least $10.
UEC is a not-for-profit
cooperative owned by all
of its members, designed
to operate at cost. When
UEC makes profits above
what it needs to continue
running, it returns money
to its members through the
Capital Credits program.
According to UEC, since
it began issuing refunds in
1960 the cooperative has
returned $85 million to
members.
Robert Echenrode, UEC
general manager and CEO,
said in a statement that the
cooperative’s strong finan-
cial position and ongo-
ing efforts to control costs
and maximize efficiencies
make such distributions
possible.
“The Board is pleased
to help make a positive
impact in the commu-
nity around the holidays,
when it may be needed the
most,” he said. “We know
this has been a difficult
year for many people.”
For questions about the
Capital Credits program,
call UEC at 541-567-6414.
Dollar General
considering store
in Umatilla
By JADE MCDOWELL
neWs edITOr
Dollar General could be
coming to Umatilla.
Dollar General spokes-
person Angela Petkovic
said in an email that the
company is still in the “due
diligence” phase and has
not made a final commit-
ment yet.
The national chain of
variety stores has been
working with the city’s
planning
commission,
however, and meeting min-
utes from the commission’s
Oct. 27 meeting shows the
committee has reviewed
a site plan for the possi-
ble store and unanimously
approved a plat for Dollar
General to combine five
tax lots into one. At that
meeting, the minutes state,
a representative from the
company described Uma-
tilla as a “great regional
location” for a store.
Petkovic said the com-
pany anticipates making a
final decision by summer
2021.
“Our customers are at
the center of all that we
do, and meeting custom-
ers’ needs is Dollar Gen-
eral’s top priority when
choosing store locations,”
she wrote. “In selecting
store sites, we take a num-
ber of factors into consid-
eration, carefully evalu-
ating each potential new
store location to ensure we
can continue to meet our
customers’ price, value and
selection needs. We further
strive to provide conve-
nience for customers who
may not have affordable
nearby retail options.”
The
approximately
7,500-square-foot
store
would be located at the
corner of Sixth Street and
Yerxa Avenue, according
to information submitted
to the planning commis-
sion, and Petkovic said it
would employ six to 10
people.
Dollar General sells
food, household goods,
health and beauty items,
seasonal decorations and
other merchandise. Not
to be confused with Dol-
lar Tree, the store’s prices
vary by item. Accord-
ing to information pro-
vided by the store, it
offers grants each year to
schools, libraries and non-
profits within a 15-mile
radius of its stores and
distribution centers.
Located at Space Age Travel Center & Comfort Suites, Exit 182 on I-84
According to the CDC,
spending some time in the sun and
taking a daily supplement helps keep
you healthy & your bones strong!