Scarfo

LA GRANDE — Much like the rest of Oregon, the return of mask mandates has been met with a wide variety of opinions in Union County.

Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday, Aug. 11, ordered a return to a state requirement that face masks be worn indoors in public places. During an Aug. 11 press call, Brown said the highly contagious delta variant was pushing the coronavirus spread to the point that each infected person was infecting eight others.

“Moving forward, for the immediate future, masks will be required for all indoor public settings,” Brown said.

The mandate went into effect on Aug. 13. Brown has not provided a timeline for how long the requirement will be in place, given that it’s dependent on the rise and fall of COVID-19 cases across the state.

‘It had a negative impact the first time’

After devastating losses in the first round of the pandemic, the current spike and resultant mask mandate present an unclear future for many local businesses, particularly food establishments.

The current mandate does not enforce mask-wearing in outdoor seating areas, and restaurant owners are hoping this will mitigate the negative financial effect on their business.

The Local, on Adams Avenue in La Grande, is one such business that features a combination of indoor and outdoor seating.

“She’s pretty clear about inside,” Karin Tsiatsos, co-owner of The Local and The Landing Hotel, said of the governor’s mandate. “She’s not making it mandatory outside, so we’re going with that.”

But, she added, the mandate “will definitely be impacting for sure.”

A few blocks down Adams Avenue, the front area of Tap That Growlers opens directly to the sidewalk, but customers inside the building will be required to wear masks.

Devin Cornford, owner of the pub and restaurant, said his patrons typically dislike wearing masks and that the mandate will be a hurdle for his business.

“It had a negative impact the first time,” he said. “We survived the first go-around, so hopefully we can survive again.”

For retail stores, like Blue Mountain Outfitters in La Grande, the mandate is a bit less daunting.

“Our whole goal is to stay open and keep everybody as healthy as possible,” Blue Mountain Outfitters owner Mike Craig said. “If we need to put a mask on to keep the doors open and keep everybody getting outside doing what they want to do, it’s a pretty easy choice.”

Local control didn’t last long enough

Last week’s decision to issue a new mask mandate was an about-face for Brown.

The governor had lifted almost all of Oregon’s COVID-19 pandemic restrictions at the end of June, as the state closed in on her 70% vaccination goal.

Gone were the social distancing requirements and capacity limits, meaning restaurants, theaters and entertainment venues could return to full indoor capacities and normal closing times.

The state’s mask mandates also went away, although there were exceptions for federal rules — masks were required at airports, on public transportation and in health care settings.

With the state reopened, decisions about masks and social distancing restrictions were handed over to the county level, with counties responsible for case investigations and contact tracing.

Brown’s Aug. 11 announcement came the day after the Oregon Health & Sciences University’s infectious disease experts forecast the state could see more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients per day in hospitals by early next month. Oregon would be about 500 staffed beds short of needs for all patients by Sept. 7 if the rate hit its projected peak.

Despite the surging cases statewide, Union County Commissioner Donna Beverage said she would have liked to have seen counties given a longer time to make their own decisions regarding COVID-19 safety.

“I feel like local control didn’t last that long,” she said. “I am still having a hard time with the state making masks mandatory.”

Beverage said a statewide mandate fails to recognize the unique situation of each county.

“I don’t like a one-size-fits-all mandate,” she said. “Local values and decisions have been taken away.”

Beverage also would have preferred that Brown consulted with the commissioners before making her decision.

“We do not have a seat at the table,” she said.

During the Aug. 11 press conference when Brown was asked why the state was taking the control out of counties’ hands, she replied that “for the most part local elected officials were not willing to make the tough decisions, and I needed to make a decision to preserve our hospital bed capacity and ensure that we have adequate staffing to take care of people who need emergent care.”

Beverage’s fellow commissioner Matt Scarfo said the mask mandate could have a positive impact.

“The recent face covering mandate put forth by Gov. Kate Brown should help to slow the increase in cases and community spread of the virus, assisting our health care professionals with capacity issues,” Scarfo wrote in an email.

Scarfo added that county officials are closely monitoring Union County’s COVID-19 situation. He said officials have maintained close communications with local health care and public health officials over the last several weeks. Scarfo said that part of this communication includes receiving daily updates from Grande Ronde Hospital and local public health officials from the Center for Human Development.

Workplace outbreaks

The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 weekly workplace outbreak report on Aug. 11 showed Grande Ronde Hospital with 21 total COVID-19 cases between July 15 and Aug. 3, up from the Aug. 4 report of 12 cases.

OHA’s Aug. 11 report also disclosed two other workplaces in Union County facing active COVID-19 outbreaks.

One of those workplaces is a nursing home, according to the state.

The state publishes an active outbreak in nursing homes if the facility reports more than three cases. The outbreak is considered resolved if no new cases are reported within 28 days of the last case.

Wildflower Lodge Assisted Living Community in La Grande has reported 10 total COVID-19 cases since July 18, and no deaths, according to the report. The Aug. 11 total was up from the state’s Aug. 4 report of five cases at the assisted living facility.

When five or more cases are reported at a facility with 30 or more workers, it is classified by the state as a workplace outbreak. Like nursing homes, the outbreak is considered resolved if no new cases are reported within 28 days of the last case.

The state also listed Miller’s Home Center, La Grande, on its Aug. 11 report with 16 cases — the same figure as the Aug. 4 report.

Cases and vaccinations in Union County

Union County’s case count per 100,000 tested for COVID-19 stands at 7,242.9, the ninth highest in Oregon. The county is currently at a 42% vaccination rate, which is sixth lowest in the state.

Just over 1,900 positive cases have been reported in Union County since the start of the pandemic, with 29 deaths attributed to COVID-19. There were 39 more cases in the most recent report from the OHA on Monday.

The county’s numbers were very low throughout the spring and early summer, but a spike in late July and early August has turned things around. Union County is now averaging approximately 17 cases per day, with 39 cases on Aug. 2 and 46 on Aug. 9.