No New Cases, Day 4
There have been 57 new cases of the coronavirus around the state, but a glitch in the reporting system on the Oregon Health Authority’s website has left the overall numbers “Pending” as they work to repair the problem. Lane county is moving into its fourth day without a new reported case of COVID-19 and still is holding steady at 48. This is good news for Lane County as the Governor’s proposal for allowing communities to reopen is based on positive data. If Governor Brown’s proposal moves forward counties that are experiencing a positive trend away from the pandemic will be able to ask permission on a case by case basis to reopen business and travel around the county. Rural communities such as Florence are gathering data to send to the state to be included in the Governor’s three phase plan. Today was a deadline for much of the information required. City Manager Erin Reynolds says they have been working to put together a packet which includes a survey that has been on the city’s website. She says the city will follow the state and county’s lead for reopening for business.
Revision Florence
The Oregon Department of Transportation has asked that contractors working on the revision Florence project redo some of the sidewalk ADA portions of the intersections. According to city Manager Erin Reynolds some of the grades were not up to ODOT specifications and they are currently working to repair them. Reynolds says the correction will not come at a cost for the city, as the contract makes the contractor responsible for the work. Reynolds also said that the monument bases are in place.
Money for Rural Hospitals
The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded 2.6 million dollars to Oregon for assisting rural hospitals around the state. The money will be funneled through the Oregon Health and Science University to support hospital’s capacity to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. No specific hospitals were mentioned in the release, but the money comes on the heels of Coos Bay’s Bay Area Hospitals announcement that it will have to furlough 171 employees due to budget concerns.
Yachats Church Helps Businesses
Businesses in Yachats are receiving relief from a heavenly source. The Yachats Community Presbyterian Church recently raised over 60,000 dollars to help the Yachats business community. Pastor Bob Barrett along with others raised the money in just 4 days and have already granted over $20,000 of it to local businesses. More grants are expected to be doled out and business leaders are hoping that the City of Yachats will also use unspent tax revenue from motel and vacation rental taxes to boost local businesses.
Accident
Travel was delayed along Highway 126 late yesterday morning as the Oregon State Police dealt with a rollover accident in the east bound lane just west of the Tunnel. The east bound lane was closed for several hours and traffic was limited to one direction at a time. There was no indication of what caused the accident, ODOT had scheduled some tree removal from the highway just east of the tunnel but there was no indication that is was a factor in the crash. Tree removal will continue from 8-5 today and for the next several weeks.