By Anne Scheck
PHASE 1 REOPENING Now OK’d for COUNTY
Polk County got the green light today for a phase-one reopening, joining other Oregon counties that received the go-ahead last week. “Main street is alive,” said Lyle Mordhorst of the Polk County Board of Commissioners. Texts and emails began arriving within minutes of the approval for the county plan, he said.

Now, many businesses across the county can resume – by implementing social-distancing and sanitation measures. Commissioner Craig Pope, who was at the helm of the Polk County plan, “deserves an awful lot of the credit,” said Mr. Mordhorst, who predicted there will be “high-fives” all over county offices Thursday.

The reopening, which was approved by Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority, is scheduled to last 21 days and will require counties to meet certain standards, including certain testing levels and hospitalization rates, in order to move into phase two.

Friday, when the re-opening takes effect, “I’m going to have pancakes, bacon and eggs during a breakfast (in a restaurant) somewhere,” Commissioner Mordhorst said.

INDEPENDENCE COUNCILORS PASS TAX, NEW CITY BUDGET
Independence city councilors voted for the maximum ad valorem tax allowed for the city tonight, a rate just under 4.6% per thousand dollars of assessed value on property – the same one they passed last year.

The councilors also adopted the new city budget; It ranged from detailing the finances for every city department to the funding for auditory broadcasts of the osprey nest, allowing the parent birds and chicks to be heard as well as seen. The budget committee and the council met jointly this evening. 

UPDATE
Savings to the city on the refinancing of two MINET bonds, recently reported in the Linking Letter, is $30,000 more than the original estimate; The amount has been revised to $377,000. These savings were calculated after accounting for the cost of the “refunding” ($122,000).

By Anne Scheck

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SUBMIT REOPENING PLAN
Calling county-wide business closures “an immediate and significant hardship to small business owners,” the Polk County Board of Commissioners submitted a plan to the governor’s office Monday for phased re-opening of shops and services, despite a rise in the county’s COVID-19 count. 
“We’re all leaning into May 15,” said Commissioner Craig Pope when he pledged last week to send in the plan, following public testimony by several merchants about their fragile finances. Mike Berkes, who owns a furniture store in Dallas, said he spent $100,000 refurbishing the commercial building shortly before the coronavirus crisis hit. “Everyone here is going through the same thing,” he said. “My story isn’t any sadder than anyone else’s.” 
In their packet submitted to the governor, the commissioners laid out how state guidelines would be met for contact tracing, viral testing and isolation of those with COVID-19. Letters signed by top executives from Salem Health Hospitals and Clinics voiced support for the plan. 
However, a possible stumbling block could be the county spike in COVID-19 cases – the number of new positive tests and recent hospitalizations are part of state criteria for re-opening. Over the last week, two COVID-19 deaths occurred in elderly patients who were residents of the county; On Monday three new cases were identified, bringing the Polk County total to more than 80. 
The relatively sudden increase – associated with a long-term care facility – is “an isolated incident and not indicative of a greater prevalence of cases within the population as a whole,” according to an explanation submitted with the plan. 
The commissioners, who act as the local health authority for the county, seem to be advocates for re-opening. In contrast, a letter signed in late April by Independence Mayor John McArdle and other local leaders appeared to support a more conservative approach to the pandemic. 
However, Mr. Pope indicated he met with that group last week and the meeting “went well,” a view echoed by Mayor McArdle. “I invited Commissioner Pope to a periodic gathering of local leaders working together and collaborating during the COVID-19 crisis,” the mayor stated. “We all exchanged information, and suggested ways to solve local challenges related to the crisis. It was a positive meeting.” More discussion on this is expected at the Board of Commission meetings this week.  

LIABILITY for COVID-19 CONCERNS COMPANIES
Being held legally liable for clients, customers and employees who contract the virus after re-opening appears to pose a concern for business owners, and that anxiety needs to be addressed, according to Kevin Crawford, an attorney who practices in Dallas OR. 
Better legal protection is needed under guidelines that spell out special conditions for opening doors to the public, including one proposed measure that calls for some businesses to “sign in” customers, Mr. Crawford said at a meeting last week of the Polk County Board of Commissioners. 
Others who attended the meeting, which included a half-dozen representatives of Dallas downtown businesses, expressed worry that the provisions for contact tracing could make restaurants, bars and personal services a possible target for litigation. So far, no legislative proposal has surfaced in Oregon for limiting liability from COVID-19 exposure in commercial enterprise, although careful adherence to safety protocols is seen as a defense against lawsuits.  

ER VISITS PLUMMET DURING PANDEMIC  
Local authorities in Polk County cite some possible pandemic-related reasons for a 30% drop in emergency-room visits over the last couple of months. The trend, which has been reported anecdotally in Oregon, is seen nationwide, according to a poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians. 
 
Concern about contracting COVID-19 is one likely cause for some adults who may be avoiding urgent care, said Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton. In fact, the “fear” of COVID-19 is preventing elderly with serious symptoms from using hospital emergency departments, according to an investigation in late April by the American Association of Retired Persons. 
Recently, several residents in Monmouth and Independence have required CPR -- an unusual incidence, according to Ben Stange, chief of Polk County Fire District No. 1 in Independence.           
Both the emergency departments at Salem Medical Center and the one at West Valley Hospital in Dallas have screening protocols and safety precautions guarding against exposure to the virus. “The other factor to consider is that a lot of health care facilities are doing a lot of pre-screening via telehealth – more than before,” observed Kristty Polanco, public health administrator for Polk County.