COVID-19 updates for April 29

According to county officials, three of the five coronavirus positive cases have fully recovered, and Hood River County has not seen any fatalities due to COVID-19.

According to the County Health Department website, the fifth COVID-19 case is an employee of Rosauers Supermarket in Hood River who was last at work on April 19. Hood River County Health Department remains in close contact with the facility, infected person, and the identified contacts as the investigation continues.  For the protection and privacy of this individual no further information will be released. “Please be aware that you are no more likely to have contracted the virus while visiting Rosauers than if you have been anywhere else out and about in the community,” said a county press release. “We will not be releasing any other Protected Health Information including additional dates and times the person was working.”

Health officials reiterated that there are unidentified and asymptomatic cases in the community and urged people to stay home, stay safe, and maintain social distancing. Do not go to work if you have any even mild cold or flu-like symptoms. Stay home until your symptoms have been gone for at least seventy two hours without medication. “More cases will undoubtedly be identified in the coming days as increased testing continues,” said the press release.

Fourteenth Annual Gorge Ride canceled

Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway have announced the 14th annual fundraiser Gorge Ride scheduled for June 13 has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release. The release stated, “We are not confident that Gov. Brown’s Stay Home order will be lifted soon enough to hold this event. We want to assure that our volunteers and participants are safe and healthy.”

The Gorge Ride is the group’s major fundraiser for the year. The revenue will be missed, but the group plans to continue to fund an inventory of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail that will develop proposals for improvements needed for the trail, said a press release.

The Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway supports the restoration and reconnection of the historic highway through the Columbia River Gorge, said the press release. Their vision is to educate the public about the historic highway, advocate for the restoration and preservation of the existing drivable portions of the historic highway to their 1920s appearance, and raise funds to help link the existing drivable segments with pedestrian and bicycle accessible trails, creating a continuous route through the Columbia River Gorge.