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North Coast
Citizen May 7, 2020
$1 Volume 26, No. 9
Confirmed cases remain at six for last three weeks Hilary Dorsey
A
Staff Writer
s of Monday, May 4, there have been no more confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Tillamook County. COVID-19 cases have remained at six for three weeks. In a County Leadership Team Teleconference on Monday, May 4, Adventist Health President Eric Swanson said they are continuing to do tent screening for the emergency department. They are working as quickly as possible to get non-urgent procedures scheduled. The six cases have been going on for three weeks. “We’ve had a really good run the last few weeks,” Commis-
sioner Bill Baertlein said. Betsy Johnson said the unemployment situation has not improved. She is talking to people who have gone five weeks without a check. Johnson said she is continuing to hunt for personal protective equipment (PPE) . Commissioner Mary Faith Bell said the commissioners are working on a plan to open up fishing. Chairman David Yamamoto said the county is on the cusp of meeting Gov. Kate Brown’s guidelines for phase one opening. Testing is starting to resolve itself. The commissioners are hoping to open fishing beginning Wednesday, May 6, for a couple
days a week and slowly expanding on the number of people fishing at a time. As of May 4, there have been 2,745 positive confirmed cases in Oregon, with 109 deaths and 63,443 people tested. There have been zero deaths in Tillamook County and 337 negative cases. According to Oregon Health Authority, in recent weeks COVID-19 testing has increased to more than 9,000 tests per week in Oregon, with a cumulative total of more than 56,000 tests performed, as of April 28. The percentage of positive tests has declined from nine percent at the outset of the pandemic to 4.8 percent, which is lower than most states.
Innovative sustainability
Commissioners eye curbside service at county libraries Library staff ready to go, waiting on commission approval Hilary Dorsey
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(Top) The Hillsdale Farmer Market has been operating a pre-orderonly, drive-through-only market for over a month now. While the Manzanita Farmers Market will have fewer vendors, Hillsdale and other farmers market around the country have helped to develop the safety protocols that the Manzanita Farmers Market will implement for a May 9 purchasing opportunity for residents. (Right) Pre-packaged orders at other farmers markets. Photo courtesy Leigh Sloss-Corra, The Market at Pepper Place
Manzanita Farmers Market hosts ‘Local Farm Drive Thru’ Hilary Dorsey
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Staff Writer
he Manzanita Farmers Market is planning for a “Local Farm Drive Thru” for Saturday, May 9. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the market will offer online pre-order sales only, food and farm items only, drive-through only for pickup orders, and serving residents only. Manzanita Farmers Market Manager Emily Vollmer said the market’s number one priority is the safety and well being of their vendors, customers and local community. “We will continue to communicate in our outreach that we are concerned for the health and safety of our local residents,” Vollmer said. “This messaging will be included in 7 29467 70001 8 the online
ordering process so that customers can make a responsible choice not to place an order online if they are not a local resident.” In addition, the market will have one or two questions for any customers signing into the online ordering platform that will ask them where they are currently residing to help screen for any customers that may not live locally, Vollmer said. The farmers market will see those responses as they are submitted and will follow up with any customers whose response suggests they may not be local residents. “In support of our current state of emergency and stay-at-home orders, the Manzanita Farmers Market will decline a customer order if it appears the customer does not live locally,” Vollmer said. “Through the online ordering platform, the farmers market has the flexibility to enact that policy.” The Manzanita Farmers Market has worked with the City of Manzanita and other professional entities to plan a safe and cautious way for the farmers market to enable local residents to purchase from the
local farm and food business vendors. “During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers markets have several important and valuable services to offer,” Vollmer said. “While farmers markets have a (well-earned) reputation for being social events that foster community connections, our operations during the pandemic will strictly minimize any in-person interaction.” Vollmer said by offering online preorders and drive thru pick up only, farmers markets can still serve as a way for local farms and residents to make an exchange of fresh food and dollars while maintaining stay at home orders and social distancing. All of these precautions take the ‘fun’ out of the ‘function’ of farmers markets and reduce the market to one of its core purposes: the transfer of food from farms to customers. “This is a way that we can help to support and care for each other,” Vollmer
n See MARKET, Page 3
Staff Writer
he Tillamook County Board of Commissioners met Wednesday, April 29, to discuss and consider the Tillamook County Library offering curbside service. This meeting was live streamed, due to Oregon’s current restrictions on public gatherings. Library Director Sara Charlton said there are a number of people in the county who do not have internet access or computers at home and this curbside service would help keep people entertained while they are home during the stay at home order. The curbside service would be Monday-Friday from 2-5 p.m. Patrons would pull up to the back door. Other libraries in the state are doing curbside service now, Charlton said. She plans to be on the curb helping. Chairman David Yamamoto asked about employees coming back into the library after the curbside service and how books will be handled. Charlton said she would ask people not to return their books at this time, but if books were returned, they would be isolated in a separate room of the library for three days. Yamamoto said this could be an extended period of time and asking people not to return books could be an issue. Charlton said staff will wear facemasks and people will stay in their cars. “The person would call in the morning with their list, or their request, runners would go get the items and check them out, the librarians would talk with the patrons and see what they wanted,” Charlton said. “We have enough garbage bags, we’ve ordered masks, we’ve ordered gloves, we’ve even ordered those face masks and we think we have everything ready to go.” The library ordered 20 masks and 1,000 more gloves. The staff can box up returned books in garbage bags and isolate them in a separate room for three days. Chalrton said there will not be courier service between the Tillamook County Library and the library in Lincoln City. “I think the commissioners would need to look at your plan,” Yamamoto said. “We would need to see that before I can make a decision.” Charlton said staff can space themselves six feet away from each other and some staff, who are ill, will not be returning to the library any time soon. She said the items would be isolated for three days and that should be enough time to kill anything contamination. Commissioner Mary Faith Bell said she would feel better if the books were held in a separate room for a week, rather than three days. Yamamoto said if people return books in the plastic bag, they would have to be handled separately. Charlton said the library has been planning and having online meeting about this service. Charlton will bring her plan to the board of commissions at the next meeting, Wednesday, May 13.