Governor increases face covering rules From Staff and Wire reports
PORTLAND — In light of the continued spread of COVID-19 in Oregon — including a troubling rise in cases of community spread that cannot be traced and contained — Governor Kate Brown on Wednesday announced new statewide health and safety measures, including new requirements for face coverings and businesses, effective Friday, July 24. Unless the spread of COVID-19 begins to slow, the Governor made clear that additional restrictions would be necessary. “Oregon, we ventured out onto the ice together and that ice has
begun to crack. Before we fall through the ice, we need to take steps to protect ourselves and our community,” said Gov. Brown. “So it’s time for further actions to slow the spread of this disease. Keep in mind, this is not an on or off switch. This disease is something that, for the time being, we must live with. However, when we see numbers rise, we must respond in turn. We must dim the lights. We must scale back, limit our interactions, take more precautions.” Beginning July 24, the following new requirements will apply:
Face Coverings • Face coverings will be required for all Oregonians ages
5 and up in indoor public spaces and outdoors when six feet of distance cannot be maintained. The current restrictions call for anyone 12 and older wearing masks in those places. • Face coverings will be required even in cases of physical exertion indoors, and outdoors when six feet of distance cannot be maintained.
Businesses • The maximum indoor capacity limit is capped at 100 for all venues in Phase II counties and for restaurants and bars in Phase I or II counties. • Restaurants and bars will be required to stop serving customers at 10:00 P.M statewide.
Jobless claims up for first time since March
WASHINGTON (AP) — The viral pandemic’s resurgence caused the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits to rise last week for the first time in nearly four months, evidence of the deepening economic pain the outbreak is causing. The increase in weekly jobless claims to 1.4 million served to underscore the outsize role the unemployment insurance system is playing among the nation’s safety net programs — just when a $600 weekly federal aid payment for the jobless is set to expire at the end of this week. All told, the Labor Department said Thursday that the total number of people receiving jobless benefits fell 1.1 million to 16.2 million. That was a hopeful sign that even as layoffs remain persistently high, some companies are still recalling workers. Last week’s pace of unemployment applications — the 18th straight time it’s topped 1 million — was up from 1.3 million the previous week. Before the pandemic, applications had never exceeded 700,000. An additional 975,000 applied last week for jobless aid under a separate program that has made self-employed and gig workers eligible for the first time. That figure isn’t adjusted for seasonal trends. The stubbornly high number of layoffs reflects a pandemic that is causing both confirmed infections and deaths to creep up nationally. Laboratories are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating processing delays that experts say are undercutting the pandemic response. With the U.S. tally of confirmed infections nearing 4 million and deaths topping 140,000, some workers are being kept off the job while awaiting test results. Analysts say the economy can’t improve until health authorities can control the spread of the virus, a need that is complicating the reopening of businesses and schools. Last week, applications for unemployment benefits declined last week in many states that have been hard hit by the virus, including Texas, Florida, Georgia and Arizona. Jobless claims rose in Louisiana, which is also suffering an outbreak, and in California and Tennessee. The resurgence of confirmed viral cases across the country has forced some businesses to close a second time or to impose tighter restrictions on customers in response to state mandates. Please see Jobless, Page A2
In conjunction with the mask expansion, Oregon’s Department of Education announced that school students will be required to wear face coverings during in-person instruction if they return to the classroom in the fall. The department will distribute 5 million face coverings to school districts for students and employees to wear to help with the new requirement. Brown said that state health and education officials are working together to draft “clear metrics” for school boards on reopening. The governor said the metrics will be released this week. “One thing is very clear, school in the fall will not look
like a normal year,” Brown said. The requirement for masks at lower ages is new. “These younger children can be infected by COVID-19. These younger children live with families,” Oregon State Health Authority Epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger said. Although Brown announced added safety measures, there is one mandate that is loosening. The state is starting to allow outdoor visits to residents at long-term care facilities where there are no COVID-19 cases. Sidelinger said many of the cases are sporadic or community spread.
Please see Governor, Page A3
Jillian Ward Photos, The World
Mike Baumer, lead maintenance technician at South Coast ESD, uses the electrostatic sprayer to disinfect a conference room.
Schools create safety and cleaning plans JILLIAN WARD The World
SOUTH COAST — Schools are making plans to protect students and staff from the ongoing pandemic while also keeping buildings clean before starting the new school year. Though plans on how schools will start classes — either back in the classroom, all online, or a hybrid model — aren’t due to the state until Aug. 15, plans on how to keep people separate and safe are being established now. At South Coast Education Service District, the buildings are closed to the general public unless an appointment is made. For those few who visit, and for staff back at work, some of these safety plans are already being used. “We’re in the process of establishing cohorts and maintaining a stable cohort to slow the spread of the virus,” said Tenneal Wetherell, superintendent of South Coast ESD. “It’s similar to what school districts will do with
As a cohort enters a room, people will sign a log and sanitize their hands.
students.” A cohort is a small group of people allowed to be around each other, while maintaining six feet of distance. This small group will be screened for symptoms and asked where they have been in the last two weeks. Then their name will be added to the cohort list, making it easy to do contact tracing if someone tests positive
for the new coronavirus. “It’s similar to what school districts will do with students,” Wetherell said. “All students will be in a stable cohort and contact trace and log daily. Every district will have a different sized cohort, but the goal is to keep them as small as possible and to keep them from interacting with each other.”
er, and continued to take gas. Around Wheeler, the protest raged, with demonstrators lighting a large fire in the space between the fence and the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse and the pop-pop-pop of federal agents deploying tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd. It wasn’t immediately clear if the federal agents knew Wheeler was in the crowd when they used the tear gas. Earlier in the night, Wheeler was mostly jeered as he tried to rally demonstrators who have clashed nightly with federal agents but was briefly applauded
when he shouted “Black Lives Matter” and pumped his fist in the air. The mayor has opposed federal agents’ presence in Oregon’s largest city, but he has faced harsh criticism from many sides and his presence wasn’t welcomed by many, who yelled and swore at him. “I want to thank the thousands of you who have come out to oppose the Trump administration’s occupation of this city,” Wheeler told hundreds of people gathered downtown near the federal courthouse. “The reason this is important is it is not just happening in Portland ... we’re
In addition, every room has an occupancy rate or a number of people allowed inside. As people go from place to place throughout the day, they will enter stable cohorts. But “we work hard to not enter other cohorts and stay with our own,” Wetherell said. To lessen cohort exposure, doors have signs saying “Stop — you’re entering a stable cohort.” “We have developed mechanisms where we drop off and pick up items so you don’t have to enter a cohort,” Wetherell said, pointing to a box on the floor near a room. “Instead, we would call someone and say we’re dropping something or picking something up outside their door.” Wetherell said being able to use Zoom and email will also lessen cohort exposure. Room occupancy will be smaller than normal this year as well. Wetherell said occupancy is measured by 35 square feet minus all unusable space.
Please see Schools, Page A2
Portland mayor tear gassed by federal agents
PORTLAND (AP) — The mayor of Portland, Oregon, was tear gassed by the U.S. government late Wednesday as he stood at a fence guarding a federal courthouse during another night of protest against the presence of federal agents sent by President Donald Trump to quell unrest in the city. Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, said it was the first time he’d been tear gassed and appeared slightly dazed and coughed as he put on a pair of goggles someone handed him and drank water. He didn’t leave his spot at the front, howev-
on the front line here in Portland.” Some Portland residents, including City Council members, have accused Wheeler of not reining in local police, who have used tear gas multiple times before federal agents arrived early this month in response to nearly two months of nightly protests since George Floyd was killed. Others, including business leaders, have condemned Wheeler for not bringing the situation under control before the agents showed up. Please see Portland, Page A2