In a split decision, Hood River County Commissioners elected to wait until Monday before deciding whether they are ready to submit an application to the state to enter into Phase 2 reopening.  Those who wanted to wait cited the recent outbreak of cases at three different congregate work facilities, and concerns about whether the County’s health department could handle the contract tracing with a further increase.  Department Director Patricia Elliott told the Commission they are keeping up right now in spite of eight positive COVID-19 tests in the past couple of days, but did say she was fine with making the application but with a reopening date of June 12 rather than this Friday to allow more time to gather more test results and get more contract tracers.  County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said hospital capacity is adequate with a plan in place to deal with a surge, and emphasized the case rate in proportion to testing hasn’t really changed with the beginning of testing asymptomatic people last week.  Commission Chair Mike Oates joined Les Perkins and Rich McBride in wanting to wait, with Oates saying he was worried about having to go backward if they move too quickly.  Bob Benton and Karen Joplin wanted to move forward, with Benton explaining he was worried about gathering sizes prescribed by the state but also concerned for businesses waiting for the next phase.  In the end Benton’s motion to send the application letter with a June 12 start date was defeated three-to-two, and the Commission will meet again on Monday.

North Central Public Health Director Teri Thalhofer told Wasco County Commissioners on Wednesday that finding hotel space for those who test positive for COVID-19 and need a place for isolation and quarantine is a problem.  Thalhofer said at the time Wasco County did its application for Phase 1 reopening they thought they had agreements in place with area hotels, but when the County tried to use them they have faced opposition.  Thalhofer said she is working with The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Farquharson to discuss the issue with hotels, and County Counsel Kristen Campbell has written a letter of explanation to lodgers.  Thalhofer noted a brief from the Oregon Bureau and Labor of Industries says it is discrimination to not allow people with COVID-19 or exposure to the virus to use a hotel room.  She said without a resolution to the quarantine space issue, it is doubtful Wasco County can move into Phase 2, and County Commission Chair Scott Hege added they need options to give people a place to stay.

Oregon’s phase 2 coronavirus reopening plan will begin Friday and includes opening pools, zoos, museums and movie theaters, allowing recreational sports, loosening current restaurant restrictions and expanding outdoor gatherings to 100 people.  Gov. Kate Brown held a news conference late Wednesday morning with state health leaders to discuss the next steps to ease restrictions from her stay-at-home directives.  Thirty-one counties are eligible to apply for phase 2.  The governor’s office is reviewing applications and will announce Thursday which counties can move forward to phase 2.  State epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger did say Oregon will be in Phase 2 for a while, until there is some kind of treatment of a vaccine for COVID-19.  Currently, gathering limits are set at 25 people.   Under phase 2, gatherings will be increased to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.  Following updated guidance, zoos, museums and outdoor gardens, will be allowed to open statewide.  Recreational non-contact sports, such as pickleball and tennis, will begin again.  In addition, collegiate athletes will return to training by mid-June.  Restaurants, which are currently required to close at 10 p.m., will be allowed to stay open until 12 a.m. in counties approved for phase 2.

Hood River County Health Director Patricia Elliott said the County has now had 29 positive COVID-19 tests.  That’s up from 16 last Friday, the result of cases associated with three different congregate work facilities.  The County also indicates they have individuals connected to the outbreaks that have test positive and work at other local businesses.  Elliott said Wednesday the rate of positive tests has not gone up, but the amount of testing has.  She noted they have done almost 700 tests in response to the work facility outbreak, and County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg added they are now testing asymptomatic people.  Contact investigators for Hood River County do say several cases were involved in group activities outside of work like parties where they could have contracted the virus.  County officials emphasize those types of gatherings are discouraged. Wasco County’s tally of positive COVID-19 tests went up by two Wednesday to 28, while Sherman County is at one and Gilliam County remains at zero.  Statewide, Oregon reported 65 new confirmed and presumptive cases to move the full total to 4,399.  There were also two COVID-19 deaths in Wednesday’s report, bringing that number to 159.  In Washington, Klickitat County remains at 29 cases and Skamania County three.

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area director Lynn Burditt said overall the opening of 70 recreation sites in the Gorge last weekend went fairly well.  Burditt told the Wasco County Commission that they did have a few challenges, particularly Dog Mountain in Skamania County, which remains closed, but some people were not honoring that closure.  Burditt says Dog Mountain will probably remain closed until at least mid-June because the mechanisms to deal with parking and congestion at the site are not yet in place.  For information on recreation sites in the Gorge, go to readysetgorge.com.

Wasco County Commissioners approved a request to the state for a drought declaration.  Commissioner Steve Kramer said the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a declaration of extreme drought status for Wasco County last month.  As of May 27, snowpack snow water equivalent by the Natural Resources Conservation Service for the Hood Deschutes Basin is 68 percent of normal and the Upper Deschutes Basin is at only 41 percent.  In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting persistent drought, above average temperatures, and below average precipitation this summer.  Kramer said the request asks Oregon Governor Kate Brown to move forward with a drought declaration so growers and producers can access various programs that can offer assistance.

The United Way of the Columbia Gorge has selected Christine Baratoff as its new Executive Director.  She succeeds Jarrod Holmes, who resigned to pursue other opportunities.  Baratoff is originally from Concord, Massachusetts, and is a graduate of American University in Washington D.C.  She has previously worked as a commercial property manager, finance associate, executive assistant and statistical analyst.  Most recently, Baratoff was the Event Coordinator for the United Way of the Columbia Gorge’s Viva Las Vegas Gala in October 2019.

Highway 141/Jewett Blvd. is closed in both directions from Skyline Blvd. to Dock Grade due a contractor hitting a natural gas line. Northwest Natural is onsite and the line is being repaired.  All traffic should use Alternate 141 to access White Salmon or points west of White Salmon via Highway 141.  The period for repairs is unknown at this time. Please check the City of White Salmon’s website for updates: www.white-salmon.net.

Hood River Police Chief Neal Holste says law enforcement officials chose to err on the side of caution when they chose to make public on Monday that a social media post claimed there would be rioting and looting in Hood River that night.  Holste said his department and the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office worked to confirm the legitimacy of the threat, adding thankfully the night ended with no incidents.  Holste added there have been questions regarding citizens who arrived downtown openly carrying firearms.  He said officers spoke with those individuals about their intentions and emphasized the expectation for the situation to remain peaceful.  Holste added the peaceful protest that did take place on Monday afternoon was civil and respectful, and that Hood River law enforcement is also outraged by the incident that took place in Minneapolis.  Holste noted they will never condone that type of behavior or recklessness from police officers who have a sworn oath to protect people, and that “our nation is in a state of pain, frustration, and sadness, and we must learn from this.”  

The Mid-Columbia again saw an increase in numbers of positive COVID-19 cases Tuesday.  The update released Tuesday afternoon by the Oregon Health Authority added two more to Wasco County’s numbers to run the count there to 26 since statistics began to be compiled, while Hood River County was up by four to 22.  Many of those in the counts have recovered.  However, Hood River County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said in a Facebook post Tuesday night the County’s number of confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 cases is actually around 30 with three outbreaks in congregate settings or workplaces, but adding they can’t be sure if the clusters were transmitted through workplaces or by group leisure activities in the past two weeks.  Van Tilburg said it’s difficult to give an exact number because multiple counties of residence are involved.  He also did not identify two of the congregate outbreaks outside of the one reported last week at Duckwall Fruit, however the coffee shop Dutch Bros. did release a statement on its website that one of its Hood River employees had tested positive on May 28, and that location is undergoing a deep cleaning before reopening.  Klickitat County is at 29 cases, with the addition of three Bingen residents that County Emergency Management Director Jeff King said were connected to the Duckwall outbreak either by working there or as a family member.  King said they do not foresee a cluster or community spread in Bingen.  The OHA reported 33 new and confirmed cases Tuesday in the state, including three deaths.  Oregon has now had 4,335 COVID-19 cases, with 157 deaths.