SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2021
Brookings, Oregon
Health officials may have to activate surge plan Curry Health Network created plan to handle increase in COVID cases Knox Keranen The Pilot
Local health officials are fearing they may have to activate their surge plan if cases of COVID-19 continue to spike in the county. Ginny Williams, CEO of Curry Health Network, said they created a surge plan at the beginning of the pandemic in case their facilities were ever overwhelmed by COVID patients. To date, the health network has not yet activated that plan, but with increases in confirmed cases and hospitalizations, Williams said they are now on the “brink” of
doing just that. On Monday, the county reported 55 new cases occurring over the weekend, which is an increase of 24 cases reported last Monday. The running daily average for cases in the county is now 14 per day. So far, there have been 955 cases of the virus and 12 deaths, and 56.5% of eligible residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Additionally, the state set a pandemic high for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at 635, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority. “We are definitely seeing an increase in the number of people
wanting to be tested, many of those are symptomatic. We are seeing an increase in the number of positives coming back, and we are definitely seeing an increase in hospitalizations,” said Williams. If the surge plan is activated, the health network could pull nurses from other settings, such as the surgery department or even outpatient care, to meet the need in the hospital. “Activating the surge plan doesn’t mean we shut down everything in a day, it really means looking at how many nurses we
More Surge, Page A2
Photo by Knox Keranen/The Pilot
Due to rising COVID cases and hospitalizations, Curry Health Network may have to activate its COVID surge plan.
Brookings looking for right balance Regulations of soup kitchens could be passed after some concerns raised Knox Keranen
Knox Keranen
The Pilot
Following complaints and a neighborhood petition about a local church’s free meal service, the Brookings City Council is considering altering the rules for soup kitchens in residential areas. In April, a petition to “remove the homeless” from St. Timothy’s Episcopal church circulated, garnering 29 signatures from concerned residents. The petition led to a city council meeting in June where Brandon Usry, creator of the petition, said some of the homeless individuals who use services provided at St. Tim’s, such as the soup kitchen, were causing him and others in the area to feel unsafe at their homes. Usry also claimed some users of the church’s services were stealing from him. In response to resident concerns, Father Bernie Lindley of St. Tim’s said the church ramped up meal services during the pandemic because other soup kitchens were shut down. As a result
The Pilot
Photo by Knox Keranen/The Pilot
Mayor Ron Hedenskog said he plans to make rules about soup kitchens equitable for both neighbors and churches. Coincidentally, Hedenskog formerly led the soup kitchen at St. Timothy's for 10 years. of the increased services, more individuals were frequenting the church. During the June meeting, Lindley called on other churches to restart their meal programs to help alleviate the pressure on St. Tim’s and the surrounding area.
“Wouldn’t it be a lot more advantageous for the residents of the city of Brookings if all the churches participated in the things that we do, so that it would be spread throughout the neighborhoods of Brookings,
instead of concentrated on that one corner,” said Lindley. On Monday, the city council discussed the updated situation at St. Tim’s, and how to move More Balance, Page A2
Gov. Brown resumes indoor mask mandate By Jeremy C. Ruark Country Media
Oregon will resume its indoor mask mandate effective Friday, Aug. 13. Gov. Kate Brown said the effort to require the face coverings at all public indoor settings is needed to slow the rapidly spreading COVID-19 Delta virus in the state. Brown opened a Wednesday morning press conference by saying the latest COVOD-19 numbers are "shocking." "Yesterday we had over 2,300 cases of COVID, the highest number since the virus first landed in Oregon," Brown said. "Hospitalizations are also up at record high. Across the state our ICU beds are about 90% filled. Some of our hospital regions have fewer than five ICU beds available to start the day." Brown said the numbers are the result of the COVID-19 Delta variant. "These numbers are despite the fact that nearly 73% of Oregon's adults are vaccinated," More Mandate, Page A9
County vows to defy future lockdowns
Metro Creative Connection
The goal of indoor mask requirement is to limit the spread of the Delta variant as much as possible indoors, where COVID-19 spreads more easily, according to Gov. Brown. The requirement works in combination with efforts to encourage more Oregonians to become fully vaccinated.
COVID cases surging in Curry County Oregon faces dangerous wildfire season AT CURRYPILOT.COM
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Calling for an end to mandated lockdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Curry County Board of Commissioners said they would not enforce future closures of schools or businesses, or stayat-home orders, if mandated by the state. Although there are no current mandated closures due to the virus, COVID-19 has found new footing in the community. The surge has caused many local businesses to close doors temporarily, due to employees contracting the virus or having a potential exposure. On July 29, Gov. Kate Brown announced masks would be required at K-12 schools statewide for the 2021-22 school year. Possibly foreseeing future COVID-19 related mandates from the governor’s office, the board unanimously decided they would not enforce some rules. “All employees and agencies of Curry County shall not assist in the enforcement of business closure, school closure or stay-at-home directives under the Executive Orders of the Governor relating to the goronavirus pandemic,” according to the resolution. Commissioner Court Boice said his intention was not to defy the state, but to maintain control of local decision-making. “Everything got hit so hard last year, and even well into 2021, that we had some of those decisions taken away from us. That doesn’t mean we would have voted differently than what the state mandated...but in the interest of our businesses, our schools, our veterans, our seniors and our retired people, we want to be very much involved in that,” he said. Commissioner Chris Paasch said this move was to protect constitutional rights. He added he was also opposed to businesses mandating vaccines for their employees, which many major companies have already More Defy, Page A9
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