National Night Out – Ribbon Cutting
This evening is the third annual National Night out in Florence. The event is intended to shine a light on awareness of police programs such as drug prevention, town watch, neighborhood watch, and other anti-crime efforts. The event will be held from 6-9 pm and will feature members of the Florence Police Department, Fire and EMS and other cooperating agencies. It will also be a time to meet city staff and members of the US Coast Guard. It is a family friendly event – No smoking or Alcohol is allowed. The event will be held at Miller Park. At 5:30 in the park there will also be a ribbon cutting to commemorate the completion of the new restrooms and concession stand. The facility was completed due to several grants from the state and local entities including the Rotary Club of Florence.
Air Quality Alert
The Oregon DEQ has posted an Air Quality Alert for the Florence area until 5pm tomorrow. The DEQ in conjunction with the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency says winds will continue to bring in smoke from wildfires burning around the state and conditions are likely to worsen in the afternoon and evening hours. Pollutants in the air can cause burning eyes, runny noses and can aggravate heart and lung issues. The agencies recommend that you limit your time outdoors. LRAPA says most of the air quality issues are for far eastern Lane County but residents in the Florence community should be aware in case conditions worsen.
COVID-19 Update
The Numbers for COVID-19 continue to increase around the state and in Lane County. The Oregon Health Authority released their weekend totals last night and includes 2,056 cases since Friday evening. Lane County had 305 new cases over the weekend. Florence continues to have increases as well with 4 more cases added over the weekend for a total of 333. There has also been a significant increase in hospitalizations. There are now 340 individuals in Oregon hospitals and 102 patients are in intensive care. These numbers rival those from earlier this year. New cases are mainly being attributed to the Delta Variant of COVID-19 and are largely affecting the unvaccinated community. The CDC is recommending mask wearing for all individuals in indoor settings.
Hospital Reinstates Visitor Restrictions
Due to the increasing amount of COVID-19 cases around the county PeaceHealth hospitals have announced that they are going to restrict access to visitors at their Lane County Hospitals. This includes Peace Harbor Hospital in Florence. There are several exceptions to the restricted access and will be reviewed on a case by case basis and include two support persons for end of life patients, two parents or legal guardians for minor patients, one support person for Emergency Department patients and a support person for Labor and Delivery. One support person is also allowed for help with patient mobility during discharge. These restrictions will be in place for an indeterminate amount of time.
