Travel Adds Covid 19 Cases In Lane County – Dave Beck to Retire – Long Term Care Facilities Allows Outdoor Visits

Despite a rise in Lane County’s Covid 19 cases numbers are leveling down

Lane county reached 406 total cases of Covid 19 over the weekend, but Lane County Public Health Information officer Jason Davis had a positive outlook for the county during yesterday’s Covid 19 Information  conference.

202  “they really are not being transmitted through community transmission here in our county, they are being brought in and spreading through there.”

Davis said that people that are more at risk seem to be taking the precautions to stay safe. That has kept Lane County’s hospitalizations down and death count down. 45 percent of Lane County’s Covid 19 cases are in those 30 and under.

201 “They were predominately travel related, and the ones that were not travel related were result of either household contact or contact known exposure through a small gathering.  So that trend seems to be continuing.”

Lane County currently has one hospitalization and 54 cases that are within the first 10 days of symptoms. After the 40 case jump over the weekend Davis said the county’s count is leveling back down with only 7 cases reported Tuesday morning and a total 406 cases.

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Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Dave Beck is retiring after 40 years of service to the community. A retirement send off Saturday at the main fire station will celebrate Beck’s service.

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There was little volatility in gas prices this week according to the Oregon AA.  Pump prices are fairly steady, moving up or down just a few cents depending on regional supply and demand. For the week, the national average slips one cent to $2.19 a gallon. The Oregon average edges up one cent to $2.66.   Demand for gasoline in the U.S. has roughly held steady over the past four weeks while gasoline stocks have steadily declined. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact driving behaviors.  In Florence a survey of the average price of a gallon of regular gas is $2.45 cash.

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Long Term care facilities can begin offering limited outdoor visits for their residents, family and friends.  The Department of Human Services made the announcement based on the requirement that long term care facilities develop a plan to adhere to required safeguards to prevent the spread of Covid 19 that has devastated populations that reside in assisted living, nursing homes and memory care units in other states. Safety prerequisites include health screenings, face coverings, physical distancing and limits on the number of visitors  ̶  is mandatory as Oregon continues to experience an increase in outbreaks at long-term care facilities.  All current indoor visitation restrictions issued in March remain in place regardless of the reopening plan status of the county where the facility is located

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Paddlers of non-motorized boats will need to carry a Waterway Access Permit beginning August 1. The permit is required for all non-motorized boats 10 feet and longer and replaces the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention Permit. Failure to show the permit is a Class D violation with a $115 fine. Permits are not required on federally designated wild and scenic rivers where other permits are already required or for youth 13 and younger. Permits are transferrable to other paddlecraft, but only on one craft on the water at a time. Permits are available on line at hunt fish Oregon dot com or at the Boat Oregon State.