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Governor orders students back to schools ZACK DEMARS The World
Almost a year after schools sent students home for the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order Friday aimed at bringing them back. Brown’s order directs the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority to establish guidance and regulations which bring kindergarten through fifth graders back to campuses across the state by March 29, and sixth
through 12th graders back by April 19. “The science is very, very clear: with proper safety measures in place, there is a low risk of COVID-19 transmission in school,” Brown wrote in a press release announcing the move. “Oregon parents can be confident about sending their children back to a classroom learning environment.” School reopenings will still be guided by a slew of state requirements around health and safety measures, as well as the advisory metrics tied to the level of virus
spread in each community. Comprehensive distance learning will only be an option for school districts when individual students require the accommodation, or when “community transmission rates warrant transition to CDL,” according to the governor’s office. The move is the most recent in a string of changes in how the state reopens its schools to in-person learning. Since Brown directed state agencies in December to prioritize school reopenings, and granted school districts more control over
the process, around 55,000 students have returned to classrooms, according to the governor. ODE reports that just under 700 schools across the state are operating in on-site or hybrid learning models. All but six counties (including Curry, Coos, Douglas, Klamath and Jefferson) already meet those OHA advisory metrics for returning to in-person, hybrid instruction for all grade levels, and all but Curry County meet the advisory metrics for returning to in-person, hybrid instruction of elementary grade
Football is back on the South Coast
levels, according to ODE. Brown said the two-part timeline will give districts time to prepare for more students on campus. “I am using this phased approach because, as we have seen from school districts that have returned to in-person instruction successfully, schools will return our youngest learners to school first, and apply the lessons learned from that implementation process to reopening middle and high school buildings,” Brown said. Please see Governor, Page A16
County has 21st death linked to COVID-19 ZACK DEMARS The World
Another Coos County resident has died with COVID-19, according to the Oregon Health Authority. A 62-year-old man tested positive Jan. 18 and died at Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Medical Center March 3, OHA announced Friday. Health officials said he had underlying conditions. The man was the 21st Coos County resident to die with the virus. His death came amidst continued high case counts across the county. By Friday, the county had reported 85 cases of the virus since the month began. Friday’s new case total of 31 also was the highest in the state for any county, regardless of population. That came after the county last week had a case rate per 100,000 population that was more than 50 higher than any other county. As of Wednesday’s weekly report, new cases across the state were up slightly from the week before, but still down significantly from months prior. Coos County remains one of five counties in the extreme-risk category. New categories will be announced Tuesday, which will take effect Friday. Vaccinations are continuing across the county. With just over 3,600 people fully vaccinated and 8,000 having received at least one shot by Friday, Coos County remains in the bottom third of vaccinations per person among Oregon counties. Individuals over 65 are eligible to receive vaccinations, though the number of doses available to county health officials mean there will likely still be delays in administering vaccines to those eligible.
Scenes from the gridiron
North Bend’s Coleman Compton, above, runs for yardage as Marist Catholic defenders close in during the Bulldogs’ season opener Friday night at Vic Adams Field. The Bulldogs fell to the Spartans 42-14. Myrtle Point’s Troy Warner, right, tries to get away from Gold Beach’s Trenton Storns as the Bobcats host the Panthers for their opener Friday. Myrtle Point came away with a 32-16 victory. For highlights from the a busy sports weekend, see Pages 8 and 9. John Gunther Photos, The World
Please see Virus, Page A16
City picks location for new community campground Coos Bay selects site at south end of South Second Street ZACK DEMARS The World
Some of Coos Bay’s unhoused residents are one step closer to having a place to get back on their feet. On Tuesday, the city council gave City Manager Rodger Craddock the go-ahead to grant the
Devereux Center use of a gravel patch at the south end of South Second Street to launch its proposed community campground. “I think it’s a step, and it’s something that we can try — and it’s worked in Medford,” said Mayor Joe Benetti during the meeting, referring to a similar campground in Medford after which the proposal was modeled. The use is contingent upon the Devereux Center getting funding for a year of operating the site. The campground’s largest expense will
be the around-the-clock security and case management services, according to Executive Director Tara Johnson. “I’m excited,” Johnson said Thursday. She anticipates hearing this month about the over $300,000 in state grant funds the center applied for to launch the campground. If it receives those funds, she hopes to bring residents in within the next few months. Johnson originally proposed another location, near the Empire
wastewater treatment plant, but that plan was rejected by city councilors for its proximity to popular access trails and the harsh elements. Still, councilors at the time were all supportive of the project, noting it’s a necessary step for giving the city’s homeless population a place to be. The council asked city staff to investigate other possible locations, which brought them to the Second Street site, which neighbors Pacific Power, the now-vacant Chambers building and the city’s shop com-
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pound. It won’t hold as many individual tents as she’d planned for in the original project proposal — it’ll house around 25, instead of up to 72 — but the location will be a chance to prove the concept, Johnson said. “It’s a small start,” Johnson said. “Again, it’s a drop in the bucket.” City councilors agreed they needed to start somewhere. “We don’t know what the outPlease see Campground, Page A16
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