Governor Brown Announcement Expected
It could come down at any moment. Governor Kate Brown indicated that sometime today she would decide if the dangers posed by the COVID-19 virus warrant the mandatory closing of Restaurants and bars that seat over 50 people. This comes on the heels of Washington’s governor Jay Inslee making the same decision over the weekend. Inslee is still allowing restaurants to operate as togo and delivery centers for food. Brown says she is looking at perhaps a curfew or a total closure. Sources say that she is trying to find a way for the hospitality industry to survive this crisis.
Numbers Not All Bad
The numbers for the coronavirus have climbed over the weekend in Oregon bringing the total number of cases to 39. And while that number is likely to increase, there is some good information within the statistics that are being put forth by the Oregon Health Authority. At the end of last week the number of negative cases tested outweighed the number of positive cases by more than a 10-1 margin, meaning that just over 10 tests out of 11 were negative for the virus. As this week begins the number of negative tests jumped to 579 to versus 39 positive which is almost a 15 to one ratio. The OHA is reporting 800 total tests in Oregon. Here in Lane County a total of 29 tests have been ordered for residents and 5 are pending with no Positive results reported.
School Feeding Students
With Schools closed for at least the next two week, the Siuslaw School District will begin this morning delivering food to students that are stuck at home. A breakfast run will start things off today with a mid-day run with a two-meal bag for students, then beginning tomorrow a mid-day run will bring food for the remainder of the week. School Superintendent, Andy Grzeskowiak says meal runs will not occur over the weekend, but schools have been in touch with local church programs like Food Backpack For Kids for supplemental food runs. The school is also working on delivering of educational material to students by Thursday and a round of thorough cleaning of the classrooms and common areas by the custodial staff. Mapleton School District is also providing locations for families to pick up breakfast and lunch.
Mapleton List of Food Pick Up
Deadwood Store, 2:30-3:00pm on 3/16, 3/17, 3/18, 3/19, 3/30, 3/31 Swisshome Church, 3:10-3:40pm on 3/16, 3/17, 3/18, 3/19, 3/30, 3/31 Richardson Bridge (near the tracks), 2:10-2:40pm on 3/16, 3/17, 3/18, 3/19, 3/30, 3/31 Sweet Creek Road at Bernhardt Creek pull out, 3:00-3:30 on 3/16, 3/17, 3/18, 3/19, 3/30, 3/31 Mapleton High School, 2:00-4:00pm on 3/16, 3/17, 3/18, 3/19, 3/30, 3/31
Closing Updates:
On the list of closing that have been reported, new to the list is Central Lincoln PUD that has closed its offices to the public but is open by phone for customers. If you need help with your bill you can call 877-265-3211. The EMAC meeting scheduled for tomorrow has also been cancelled. The Siuslaw Public Library has also announced that they will be closed at least through this Friday. Artefacts in Old Town will be closed until April 1st, with FTS Computer Repair limiting hours to Wednesday through Friday, Noon to 4 pm.
The Florence Rotary Club has also cancelled tomorrow’s noon meeting. If you have a business with updated hours or closings to announce please contact coast radio or email news@kcst.com