Hood River County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Friday to end its COVID-19 Local Emergency Order, along with the ban on transient use of overnight accommodations including motels, short-term vacation rentals, hosted home shares, bed and breakfasts, RV parks and campgrounds and camping on private lands.
Rescinding the order also opens up trailheads and staging areas in county forestlands — on or before June 8. These areas had been closed since April 2 in accordance with the governor’s “Stay Home, Save Lives” order restricting non-essential travel and prohibiting all non-essential social and recreational gatherings. The county issued a limited relaxation of the forestlands order on April 23, allowing local access but barring parking at trailheads, staging areas and along county roads.
County leaders are poised, meanwhile, to take the next step in the reopening process, with a special meeting Wednesday to consider an application to the state for Phase 2, which would allow gatherings of up to 50 people, ease travel restrictions and allow a limited return to work, though remote working is still recommended.
Phase 2 allows limited reopening of theaters, cinemas and churches as well as activities such as bowling, arcades, batting cages and more. It would also allow youth sports with physical distancing and overnight camps.
The Wednesday meeting will be online at 2 p.m.; to listen in, see co.hood-river.or.us for Webex access details.
County Counsel Lisa Davies has been asked to present a document that, if approved by the state, would seek to qualify Hood River County for Phase 2 on June 5.
“It’s a short turnaround,” County administrator Jeff Hecksel said. “We won’t have a document to you until later that morning (June 3),” he told the commissioners last week. If adopted, “We will get it to state that afternoon so we are potentially in line to have Phase 2 reopening on June 5. It looks like we will meet the (Phase 2) criteria. It looks like it right now, but we will let commissioners know if the meeting does not need to occur.”
Commissioner Les Perkins said Friday, “I know there is a lot of consternation of opening lodgings and parks, but the point was made in trying to follow the governor’s order on distancing, and group size is what we need to focus on. Everyone, businesses included, need to focus on that,” he said, referencing the next-stage process of permitting groups to meet on county lands. “We can’t keep closing things. We need to start using our heads and do what we can to keep things safe,” Perkins said.
On May 7, the Board formally adopted Hood River County’s Reopening Plan certifying preparedness and requesting approval from the Governor’s Office to commence Phase One Reopening in Hood River County, which the state approved on May 14.
The new county order requires transient lodging operators to comply with all Oregon Health Authority regulations and Centers for Disease Control guidelines for traveler’s accommodations.
County officials said stretching the opening dates for recreation areas until June 8 gives county staff sufficient time to prepare County facilities for reopening, including appropriate sanitation and signage.
Hecksel said, “We need to be mindful of sizes of groups before we issue permits. It depends on Governor’s order. It’s really the size of the group.”
Commissioner Bob Benton said that with Community Education’s closure of programs for the summer, “more and more parents are relying on event permits for the county for activities for kids.” Hecksel said compliance with Oregon Health Department rules “will allow us to start reviewing and approving the permits.”
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