Mussel harvesting reopened along the entire Oregon Coast Thursday, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Beaches along the South Coast closed to harvesting in September after the marine biotoxin paralytic shellfish poison exceeded the closure limit. Recent samples have found that value is now lower than the limit, allowing for harvesting to reopen, according to a news release from the agencies.
Meanwhile, razor clam samples indicate that the marine biotoxin domoic acid has exceeded closure limits along some stretches of the coast. As a result, the agencies announced a closure of recreational razor clamming between Cascade Head in Lincoln City and the north jetty of the Siuslaw River in Florence.
Razor clamming is still permitted to the north and south of that area. Recreational bay clam and crab harvesting are both open along the entire coast, and ODA will continue to test for shellfish toxins twice monthly.
Areas are permitted to reopen after two consecutive tests with toxins below their assigned closure limits, the news release said.
HEADLINES AROUND THE STATE OF OREGON
SNAP Program Waiver Approved
A waiver approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) allows Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Disaster SNAP recipients in the following 23 counties to purchase hot or prepared foods from authorized SNAP retailers until Nov. 20.
Approved counties: Benton, Clackamas, Columbia Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Hood River, Jackson, Josephine, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill.
Normally, SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase “hot food products prepared for immediate consumption.” This restriction is being waived following the severe winds and wildfires that led to the displacement of many residents and left them without access to a kitchen to prepare meals. Examples of allowable prepared foods include hot deli foods, fountain drinks, including but not limited to coffee and tea, a slice of hot/prepared pizza, hot soup, salad bars, and sandwiches.
This waiver will last through Nov. 20 and allows SNAP and DSNAP recipients to use their benefits to buy prepared food at any participating retailer that accepts SNAP EBT cards. Restaurant purchases are still prohibited.
For more information about the hot food waiver, visit https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/FOOD-BENEFITS/Pages/DSNAP-Hot-Foods-Waiver.aspx.
The state’s death toll from COVID-19 is unchanged from yesterday and remains at 653. Oregon Health Authority reported 366 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, today bringing the state total to 42,101.
The new cases are in the following counties: Baker (6), Benton (5), Clackamas (17), Clatsop (1), Columbia (3), Coos (2), Crook (4), Deschutes (13), Douglas (4), Jackson (20), Jefferson (1), Josephine (3), Klamath (2), Lake (1), Lane (30), Lincoln (2), Linn (5), Malheur (6), Marion (88), Morrow (2), Multnomah (82), Polk (1), Umatilla (5), Union (1), Wallowa (2), Washington (57), and Yamhill (3).
Ducks scrimmage canceled as some 5 players test positive for Covid-19 over the weekend.
University of Oregon Athletic Communications announced Saturday evening that five football players have tested positive for COVID-19. These are the first positive tests since the program began daily testing in September.
Head coach Mario Cristobal told the media that the individuals are asymptomatic, in isolation and working with the local medical staff.
“The scrimmage was canceled,” Cristobal said. “Tomorrow we are testing the entire team again and following up with PCR tests for the other guys that tested positive.”
The university has reported the positive cases to health authorities and contact tracing is in progress. It is unclear as to when the group of players will be back in action and participating in group practices. The program is scheduled to kick-off their season against Stanford on Nov. 7 at Autzen Stadium.
The Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation raised concerns that the University of Oregon administration is not doing enough to mitigate COVID-19 spread among staff, criticizing its current safety policies during an Oct. 14 press conference.
A statement read: “University of Oregon administration has failed to adequately meet the needs of not just graduate student employees, but also faculty and staff in regards to COVID-19 safety,” according to the statement. UO’s policies and practices continued throughout the summer and now into fall term, disproportionately affecting research graduate students and staff.
“We as employees cannot do our due diligence if the university doesn’t put us in a position where we are empowered to take that responsibility,” a spokesperson said over the weekend.
Current university policy instructs employees to tell a supervisor if they test positive for the coronavirus, she said, but its operational plan does not provide additional guidance.
While UO’s testing capabilities have been primarily focused on residence halls and communal living on campus, the university is working on expanding those capabilities for employees.
With classes moving to a primarily remote structure, many GEs don’t have access to a reliable workspace, which is forcing them to combine their personal and professional lives. According to the statement, GEs are having to be available beyond their typical working hours and make difficult decisions, such as whether to pay internet bills instead of utility bills.
As per the current GTFF Collective Bargaining Agreement, the university is obligated to protect GEs from unsafe workplaces by providing a safe and healthy working environment. While UO currently has protocols to fulfill these obligations, GTFF President Rajeev Ravisankar said the follow-through on these protocols is “uneven.”
84% of campus buildings have had their air handling systems adjusted to increase airflow, according to the operational plan. However, 16% of campus buildings “either do not have the capability to increase outside air or have some other system or operational limitation.” To combat this, the university’s plan suggests individuals open a window to improve airflow.
When ventilation may not be sufficient in such buildings, the university will turn to strategies such as physical distancing, face masks and attention to safe behavior, according to Director of Environmental Health and Safety Steve Stuckmeyer.
For the GTFF and other unions on campus, these workplace safety concerns are a product of larger, systemic issues within the university, according to the GTFF’s statement. Both Ravisankar and the statement made by the GTFF pointed to the lack of democracy and shared decision-making at UO.
Friday, the Oregon Health Authority reported its highest daily case count since the beginning of the pandemic with 550 cases overnight.
OHA says: Our thoughts are with all those who are affected by this virus. These numbers are alarming; preliminary data show this increase is due to continued widespread community transmission resulting in small clusters and outbreaks across the state.
Friday’s case count is again a reminder that we cannot let our guards down. Oregon Health Authority published new face covering guidance this week, which requires that people consistently wear face coverings while indoors at their workplace and all other places where they will be in contact with people from outside their household.
OHA has also asked people to rethink Halloween – avoid traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, avoid costume parties with people outside their own households and wear a face covering, because a Halloween mask won’t protect against COVID-19.
“We all need to aggressively adhere to the face covering guidance and always wear a mask,” said Shimi Sharief, MD, OHA senior health advisor. “We know everyone is tired and we all wish this would go away, but the reality is this disease is spreading in Oregon, and it’s on all of us to protect ourselves and each other.”
As always, thank you for all you are doing to help stem the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. Each person’s actions really do make a difference.
With the November 3rd Election night just around the corner, Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty is pushing to place stringent restrictions on the 56 Portland police officers who remain federally deputized.
Despite the city’s request, the U.S. Department of Justice has refused to end the federal deputation of local officers, who were deputized ahead of a far-right rally in September. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has since barred these officers from making arrests under federal law, but some remain concerned about what could happen on Election Night with the DOJ insisting that local officers patrolling the demonstrations have the ability to bring federal charges against protesters.
On Wednesday this week, Hardesty will introduce a resolution to the City Council that would limit the authority of these officers, who make up most of the bureau’s Rapid Response Team, the unit responsible for responding to protests. If passed, the rule would place new restrictions on who the deputized police can take orders from and communicate with during demonstrations.
“Building on the mayor’s order to take no further action of any kind pursuant to the federal deputation, I am proposing a resolution that creates safeguards to further ensure these deputized officers remain under local control and protect Portlanders from being charged with bogus federal charges,” Hardesty said in a statement.
Winter arrived in the northwest with cold temperatures and even snow in Spokane over the weekend. Roads in the Spokane area were slick and some lost power throughout the city after a record-breaking 7 inches of snow fell in the region.
Avista Utilities reported more than 2,100 customers without power about 3 p.m. Friday. Outages continued through the weekend. The storm marks the second year in a row that Spokane has been hit by a significant October snow storm.
Pacific Power ends Public Safety Power Shutoff watch for Illinois Valley and northern California areas
CAVE JUNCTION, ORE. — After closely monitoring dry, windy weather conditions throughout the day, Pacific Power ended its Public Safety Power Shutoff watch early Sunday evening for high-fire risk areas in the Illinois Valley area of southern Oregon and Happy Camp, Calif. Weather conditions did not necessitate a power shutoff. The weather watch and line patrol was part of a proactive effort to provide situational awareness in the face of potentially hazardous weather conditions.
“Our top priority is the safety of our communities,” said Erik Brookhouse, vice president of system operations. “We appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers throughout this effort.”
Public Safety Power Shutoff events are part of the utility’s comprehensive wildfire prevention plan, which includes additional safety inspections, upgrades to the grid system, and weather stations to monitor for hazardous conditions.
Customers in the watch areas have been notified of the watch conclusion. For all non-emergency questions about the Public Safety Power Shutoff watch, customers and the public should call Pacific Power at 1-888-221-7070.
Visit pacificpower.net/psps for additional information on Public Safety Power Shutoffs, wildfire safety and emergency preparedness.