Lane County COVID-19 Numbers Rise; Rental Assistance Available; Food Boxes Available; Flu Tracking Begins; Truck Rally

Lane County COVID-19 Numbers Rise

Even with the COVID-19 case count doubling in the past month Lane County has not been added to the governor’s watch list.  There are currently 4 counties on that list and on Friday Umatilla County was the latest to be added.  Even with the addition, Umatilla County still remains at Phase 2 of reopening which should be a small sign of relief for Lane County.  Concern has been high with Lane County Public Health and recently with the Lane County Commissioners, even though the commissioners made no recommendations to move the county in a reverse direction back to Phase One.  Over the weekend there were 129 new reported cases in Lane County including 3 new cases for the Florence area.  There is no additional information on the new cases locally as Lane County Public Health does not disclose specifics of cases.  Coast Radio News did reach out to Jason Davis with LCPH for more information, but has not yet received word from him.  The total number of cases for Lane County is 1,820 and there are currently 233 infectious individuals there was another death for Lane County, a 73 year old male with underlying health conditions.  There were also 1171 new cases statewide and there were 5 total deaths this past weekend increasing the total to 599.

Rental Assistance Available

If you have experienced a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are struggling with making rental payments, Lane County is opening up applications for Lane County Renters Assistance.  The application process opens this Friday and is expected to fill up quickly with limited funds available.  Depending on your income status you can receive between $3,200 and $6,100 dollars in rental assistance.  Applications can be completed online at www.lanecounty.org/rent.

Food Boxes Available

The United States Department of Agriculture has set up a food box distribution at St. Mary – Our Lady of the Dunes Catholic Church.  This Saturday from 1-3 there will be 100 boxes available on a first come first serve basis to needy families and individuals.  The boxes are free and there are no requirements or paperwork required.  The boxes are filled with a variety of produce/fruits, dairy, milk and pre-cooked meat.  There will also be some boxes available at the Mapleton Food Share.

Flu Tracking Begins

The Oregon Health Authority has begun its annual tracking of flu virus in the state.  For the first week of October there was only one confirmed case in the state out of 337 tests administered.  OHA is recommending that people get their flu shots this year -with the pandemic in full force – to help eliminate the effect of the flu.  The first case reported was in Southern Oregon.  The state breaks down regions in 5 areas, Southern Oregon, Columbia Gorge, Central Oregon, Willamette Valley and the Portland Metro.

Truck Rally

Another Trump Truck Rally drove through the streets of Florence on Saturday.  Organizers met at the Republican Headquarters on 12th street and drove through Old Town making several passes.  According to local organizers this time the rally received a permit from the city, unlike the previous rally.  Opinions were mixed on social media and were cut along party lines.  Also appearing was Congressional candidate Alex Skarlatos.