Polk County Courthouse (Courtesy of Jolene Guzman/Polk Itemizer-Observer)
Polk County is getting in line for permission to return businesses to fuller operations later this week, submitting to Gov. Kate Brown its plan to restore the economy while protecting people from the coronavirus.
While Polk County has had relatively few cases compared to Salem, the Oregon Health Authority has grouped the county into a larger region encompassing Marion, Yamhill, Lincoln, Benton and Linn. The state wants certain standards met by all the counties before any of them are allowed to ease restrictions that have been in place since March.
Gov. Kate Brown was expected to announce soon which counties across Oregon could put new rules in place by Friday. She has already said that certain retail stores she ordered close could reopen across Oregon even if county plans are still pending.
Polk County’s challenge is its neighbor across the river. Marion County has the highest rate of COVID-19 infections in the state, with 207 cases per 100,000, more than double any other county in the state. Polk County has around half that, with 107 cases per 100,000.
Polk County commissioners are pushing for the opening of bars, restaurants, breweries, wineries, outdoor recreation and personal services by Friday.
DOCUMENT: Polk County phased opening
Polk County Commissioners Mike Ainsworth, Craig Pope and Lyle Mordhorst said in a letter to Brown on Monday that they didn’t want the county to be held back from a phased opening.
“Our citizens are thoughtful, caring and hard-working people that want to be given an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to saving lives while maintaining their livelihoods in a county that struggles to compete in the region,” the letter said.
The commissioners also cited the county’s relatively low number of cases and deaths. Polk County has had 87 positive cases and six deaths as of May 11.
One of the state’s prerequisites for reopening is a 14-day decline in COVID-19 hospital admissions.
As of May 8, Polk County had seven residents hospitalized. That’s up from three hospitalizations on April 13, according to county data.
Polk County officials attributed a recent spike in cases to an outbreak at a long-term care facility. Prestige Senior Living Orchard Heights in west Salem is the only such facility listed as having cases by the state Department of Human Services. The Oregon Health Authority releases its data on such facilities weekly on Tuesday evenings.
Kristty Polanco, Polk County public health administrator, didn’t respond to telephone messages or an email regarding Orchard Heights.
“Polk County Public Health is working closely with the facility in response to the outbreak, however it is believed this is an isolated incident and not indicative of a greater prevalence of cases within the population as a whole,” the county explained in its state submission.
The Health Authority said testing will be a cornerstone of plans to reopen and areas would need to test at a rate of 30 tests per 10,000 each week.
As of May 6, the region including Polk County had the capacity to test 500 people per week, according to the framework. The county’s plan said testing will more than double to 1,340 tests per week as rapid testing starts at Salem Health West Valley Hospital in Dallas.
The county is teaming up with Western Oregon University and Oregon State University Extension Resources for more help to do contact tracing.
The framework states the county has identified 10 employees ready to be trained as full-time contact tracers to meet the state’s requirement of 15 contact tracers per 100,000 people.
Have a tip? Contact reporter Saphara Harrell at 503-549-6250, [email protected] or @daisysaphara.
