The following is some material we find useful and/or interesting. The COVID-19 situation is obviously continually evolving therefore we are not able to consolidate everything here. Check the relevant entities for the latest information / updates.
Last Updated on February 25, 2021
Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries is hearing reports that Oregon hotels are denying access to people experiencing homelessness and to those they believe have COVID-19. Some establishments are stopping people from staying in their rooms, rejecting room payments made on an individual’s behalf by advocacy organizations, or removing people from their premises.
“People experiencing homelessness and those who are sick deserve and have the right to access public businesses without discrimination,” says statewide Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle. “Oregon law is very clear.”
See the entire statement Oregon Labor Commissioner responds to reports of discrimination at Oregon hotels.
As the country “experiments” with re-opening, to me the information in this blog seems important and timely.
According to the website, the author, Erin Bromage, is a Comparative Immunologist and Professor of Biology (specializing in Immunology) at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
It’s widely reported that the “CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings.” However, this is only the first part of the statement. The entire statement is “CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.”
This statement was downloaded from the CDC website June 26, 2020. Be sure and check the CDC for the latest information.
“Contact tracing will be conducted for close contacts (any individual within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes) of laboratory-confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients” [emphasis added].
This statement was downloaded from the CDC website June 26, 2020. Be sure and check the CDC for the latest information.
Updated Federal and State Guidance for Responding to COVID-19 among People Experiencing Homelessness: https://www.orcities.org/resources/communications/bulletin/updated-federal-and-state-guidance-responding-covid-19-among-people-experiencing-homelessness.
Click on each of the following to expand:
“Governor Brown is issuing the following guidance regarding Executive Order 20-12, which directs Oregonians to “Stay Home, Save Lives” in response to the coronavirus state of emergency. This guidance provides further information for programs that provide for the basic human needs of low- and extremely low-income households, as well as individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability.”
Read more here.
“When the coronavirus pandemic hit Portland, the city substantially cut back on camp sweeps to allow people experiencing homelessness to shelter in place. With sweeps on pause, camps have popped up in unusual places, and some have grown.”
Read more here.
“Harrison County, of which Clarksburg is the county seat, has been vexed by homelessness. The county has the second-highest reported per-capita homeless population in the state. To date, there’s been no coordinated response to address it.
But on an April weekend, a group of volunteers with the Harrison County Task Team on Homelessness began a process they hope is the first step toward a long-term solution.”
Read more here.
“Over the last three weeks, King County and the City of Seattle have mobilized resources across the region to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency, particularly for people experiencing homelessness and for those who cannot safely isolate, quarantine and recover in their own homes.”
1,893 new spaces have been created — about half are for isolation and recovery.
“Our partnership to create new shelter, de-intensify our current high capacity shelters, and create new spaces will go a long way in ensuring more people have the tools they need to stay healthy….”
Read more here.
