As the key May 15 coronavirus “reopening” date approaches, Hood River County officials — and local businesses and other gathering places — await approval of the county’s so-called reopening plan.
County Administrator Jeff Hecksel said “reopening” is a bit of a misnomer, and he and other county officials are stressing that May 15 is an optional date, and any business that doubts it cannot open safely for its employees or the public should feel no pressure to do so.
The County Board of Commissioners’ cover letter to the governor’s office submits that “in accordance with Oregon guidelines, Hood River County requests a Phase I reopening date of May 15.”
Hecksel said Monday that the county received word that the Governor’s office has signed off on the county plan — 21 other counties have also done so — and that it has been forwarded to Oregon Health Authority for final review.
Hecksel said there is no clear timeline for final approval by the state. The plan is available for view on the home page of the county’s website, co.hood-river.or.us.
The county’s cover letter states that Hood River County as a small rural county that “has had few positive COVID-19 cases (11).”
The number is up to 13 as of May 11, according to Hecksel. One of those cases has been hospitalized, according to Trish Elliott of the Hood River Health Department.
She said the county is in regular communication with about 30 people known to have been in contact with people diagnosed with COVID. However, about 13 known contacts have either not been tracked down or have declined to be reached by phone or in person, according to Elliott.
Hecksel told the county commissioners on May 7, “There is a misperception as to what this plan is. It is not a reopening plan for all the businesses and nonprofits in Hood River County. More specifically, it is the Hood River County public health preparedness plan. What the state wants from the county is to demonstrate two things: First, through numbers, we are sort of on the downhill side of the COVID curve. We have not had the spike here in Hood River County for whatever reason that has occurred elsewhere.
“Second, if we do have a spike are we prepared to handle it? Much of the document addresses how county would handle the surge in cases: That is the Core Preparedness aspect of the plan, and it’s important as to local capacity to deal with issues that should arise with COVID-19.”
Elliott said, “We have worked hard to ensure we have what we need in order to move forward. We are doing well with testing, PPE, hospital capacity and contract tracing ability. We are continuing to build our capacity for contact tracing and we will do that as much as we need to keep up with everything.”
Commissioner Les Perkins asked Elliot about her level of confidence with the county reopening plan and the Health Department’s ability to manage matters moving ahead.
Elliott, who assisted with developing the plan, said she is confident but cautioned, “If we get four (new) cases in one day right now we’d be pretty overwhelmed,” she said.
In an update to the board on May 11, Elliott said, “we have a pretty good plan for quarantining, though we need to use an alternative site for a group of people, and are continuing with that effort.” Community partners are heling with delivery of food and other items to people in quarantine. (The county has reported at least one family of four people diagnosed with COVID-19 who are in quarantine.)
She said another group test was planned Tuesday “for a certain population, with the help of One Community Health. We are seeing some of those more vulnerable populations it the help of OHCH.”
Hecksel said, “A lot of what businesses are interested in the sector guidelines, which were developed not by county but by OHA. Those things are now available, in final format for those area sectors and the public can see what those are and see those guidelines so they know what they need to do to operate safely.”
The county’s plan cover letter states, “As of May 6, the county’s presumptive and positive cases are 1.9 percent of those being tested. This compares to 4.3 percent State wide. The county’s percentage of testing at 2.5 percent of the population compares to statewide estimate of 1.6. There have been zero hospital admissions. Given the low positive numbers, we believe the County is in a good position to move forward with a Phase I reopening.
“From the county’s perspective, it is important to move forward to open the economy and balance that opening with a framework that minimizes the potential for a spike in cases while at the same time being prepared to effectively manage a spike should one occur. In planning, Hood River County has partnered with local non-profits, other counties, cities in the county, Providence Hospital, and the State. As a small Public Health agency, these partnerships have enabled the County to respond to the pandemic and prepare a plan to move forward.
“The county’s plan is meant to follow the framework of the state, be consistent with plans from other counties and allow the county to scale and modify the plan as needed. By Resolution, the county has adopted this plan, and attests to an adequate supply of PPE, and hospital capacity. Thank you for your consideration and consent to move forward.”
In the executive summary, the county (HRC) “formally requests approval from the State of Oregon Governor’s Office of the following Reopening Plan. Hood River County is committed to an evidence-based reopening strategy that considers the health and welfare of all our community members. Hood River County recognizes the risk and sacrifice of healthcare workers, first responders, community members, and businesses.
"It is imperative that our strategy to reopen is deliberate, thoughtful, inclusive, and successful. The purpose of this document is to affirm to the Governor’s Office that Hood River County has met all components of the Gating Criteria, met all components of the Core State Preparedness requirements, completed the Prerequisites Checklist, and is equipped to enter Phase One of Lifting Restrictions.
“HRC has a plan in place for Phase One that includes surge, contingencies, and special situations. HRC has plans for Phase Two and Three, pending success of Phase One. This document also provides guidance for those involved in the process of reopening to aid in preparation and implementation of their individual plans. Information associated with COVID-19 is constantly changing, therefore this plan will be a living document. As new information is made available and as state orders or guidelines are issued, the new information will be reflected in this plan in a timely manner.”
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