Free COVID-19 Testing
From 10 am through 1 am today Lane County Public Health will be conducting free COVID-19 testing in Florence. The event will be held at the Florence Food Share at 2190 Spruce Street. The testing is open and available to all of the public, but priority will be given to residents in high-risk groups, first responders, individuals who have not been able to maintain physical distancing, for example those who have had to work throughout the outbreak, and of course those who are symptomatic. These tests do not include antibody tests and will only show whether or not you are currently infected by the coronavirus. Under the new regulations from Governor Kate Brown, those wishing to receive a test will have to come to the event wearing a mask. Individuals that test positive will be contacted by Lane County Public Health.
New Cases-New Reporting Procedures
There are 3 new covid-19 cases to report in Lane County, bringing the total number of cases to 151. All three of these cases are out of the Eugene/Springfield area. In a press conference yesterday Lane County Public Health Official Jason Davis said in addition to the new cases they are also following a pair of clusters that have emerged from testing. One is a college age cluster and the other is a high school age cluster. Davis said the county is working on the origin of both clusters but believe them to be associated with end of year celebrations. Davis also said new reporting procedures have been enacted and they will no longer identify results as positive and presumptive.
“The reason for this is is that typically most of our positive cases do end up becoming positive cases.”
He says that number could fluctuate though as some cases may end up being negative. Statewide there have been 181 new cases to report bringing the total to 8,656 and three new deaths are included in yesterday’s report. All three deaths are from Marion County and all three had underlying health conditions.
Governor Press Conference on COVID-19
Governor Kate Brown will hold a press conference this morning to discuss the state of COVID-19 in Oregon and also give details on the new requirement for all of Oregon residents to wear masks. She will also discuss the extension of her State of Emergency Order that will now continue until September 4th. Brown has said that if the state is not able to reduce the number of cases in the state and flatten the curve, it could affect how schools will move forward in the fall.
Increased Enforcement Weekend
This weekend the Florence Police Department will be participating in increased enforcement of DUII as part of a state funded plan to keep the roadways safe. Additional officers will be on patrol looking for potential DUII drivers. That enforcement will be on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Commander John Pitcher says that there is still a moratorium on ticketing for expired plates and drivers licenses as long as those expirations happened during the current coronavirus pandemic. If your expiration falls outside of that window, there may be a ticket issued.
Food Share Receives Grant
The Florence food share has received a $2500 grant from the united way’s Community Response Fund. The grant will support COVID-19 related efforts by the Florence Food Share according to Food Share Director Colin Morgan.
