WEEKEND EDITION FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020
SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
www.currypilot.com
Brookings, Oregon
COVID-19
COVID-19
“We need to open Oregon, especially Curry County. We want our county to open. People want to work. They don’t want the government handouts. They want to get to work.”
Port cancels 2020 events
Dianna Blazo Local rally organizer
Decision made at a special meeting on April 30 BRIAN WILLIAMS The Pilot
Brian Williams, The Pilot
More than 50 people rallied to reopen Oregon in Brookings on Sunday. Similar rallies were held throughout the state, includuing on Saturday in Gold Beach.
Wanting to reopen More than 50 people attend rally in Brookings on Sunday
BRIAN WILLIAMS The Pilot
More than 50 people rallied to reopen Oregon in Brookings on Sunday. The state has been mostly shut down since Gov. Kate Brown issued stayhome orders in March due to novel coronavirus concerns. Reopen rallies were held throughout the state this weekend, most occurring during a drizzly Saturday. “We need to open Oregon, especially Curry County,” said local organizer Dianna Blazo on Sunday in Brookings. “We want our county to open. People want to work. They don’t want the government handouts. They want to get to work. If people are that worried about it they don’t have to come out shopping, send someone else. But for those of us that want to work, open it up.” There were plenty of people in agreement judging by the honking, thumbsup and applauding coming from the cars and trucks that passed in front of the group lined along Highway 101 in front of Goldilocks Antiques and its next-door neighbor to the south Coast Auto Center. This reporter did not see any negative response to the crowd from passersby during the hour-long rally geared to-
ward easing COVID-19 restrictions. To date, Curry County has had four confirmed COVID-19 cases and zero deaths. All four have recovered. It’s been more than a week since the last confirmed case. Curry Health Network can do rapid testing, drive-up testing and antibody testing and said it has over a month’s supply of personal protective equipment. Blazo volunteers with the Curry County Republican Central Committee. Many who rallied were volunteers with the local Republican committee. Blazo and others eagerly pointed out that the rally and its reopening message were not about politics. “This is for everybody,” Blazo said. “I know it’s not just Republicans that want this. We want everybody to be able to go to work. It’s sad that we are not being allowed.” A day earlier, a dozen people rallied in front of the Curry County Courthouse, while the largest protest was held at the Capitol in Salem. On Sunday, attendees in Brookings waved U.S. flags and a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and had signs with slogans like “Reopen Oregon,” “Don’t Quarantine the Healthy,” and “Everyone is Essential.” See Rally, Page A6
Port of Brookings Harbor Commissioners canceled all events through the end of the year and extended the closure of Beachfront RV Park to May 25 during a special meeting Thursday, April 30, via teleconference. Both votes were unanimous, 5-0. This is the third special meeting Port Commissioners have held in April to address issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent orders from Gov. Kate Brown. On April 17, Commissioners gave Port Manager Gary Dehlinger the authority to dip into See Port, Page A6
COVID-19
Transient lodging bans lifted County petitions governor to start ‘Phase 1’ PILOT STAFF
Brian Williams, The Pilot
People wave signs and flags during the reopen Oregon rally on Sunday in Brookings.
GOLD BEACH — Curry County Commissioners unanimously repealed a ban on short-term transient lodging stays of less than 28 days in the unincorporated areas of the county on Wednesday. It takes effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 6. The County is also requesting reopen the county for business. The County’s vote comes after Gold Beach City Council did the same on Monday. Gold Beach’s repeal starts on Friday, May 8. See Lodging, Page A3
COVID-19
Coronavirus has fishermen floundering RANDY ROBBINS For The Pilot
Brian Williams, The Pilot
With the governor’s stay-home orders, it’s been tough for charter fishing boats to get out and make a living in the Port of Brookings Harbor and up and down the coast.
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It has been a little over seven weeks but for many Oregonians, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on their everyday lives seem like an eternity. Whether it be donning a mask, isolating at home, or losing much-needed income, the citizens of Curry County are doing their part
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Control (CDC) those mitigation strategies appear to be working. Recent reports across the nation point to fewer new cases. COVID appears to be slowing down and several states, including Oregon, are looking to gradually reopen as soon as today, May 1. Before the pandemic, the economy was roaring along breaking record after record and looking rather
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invincible. COVID-19 rewrote that playbook, at least temporarily. America’s businesses, including many here on the Oregon coast, shut down overnight with circuit-breaker precision. Since the governor’s stay-at-home order, many local businesses have had little to no income. These businesses are staring into a financial abyss. They are
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by joining with the rest of the state and nation. They did all that was asked — adopting stringent social distancing and other measures, in an attempt to “flatten the curve” and thereby rein in the disastrous health consequences associated with the disease. Now what? The good news is that according to the experts at the Centers for Disease
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