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The City of Eugene’s top priority during the spread of COVID-19 has been the health and safety of the community. In the last week, City staff have worked closely with our public health partners to make sure our community has the most up to date information for resources, services and assistance.

We would like to tell you about progress in two important areas:

– We are working with our homeless service partners and Lane County to address the unique needs of our community members experiencing homelessness in the current pandemic and

– We have created a COVID-19 Response Donations page where you can find a list of current needs and offer other ways to help.

Homeless Outreach

Consistent with CDC guidelines, the City’s approach is intended to control the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing and hygiene while providing critical services to the unhoused population. In the coming days, outreach teams of City staff from multiple departments will provide supplies directly to people experiencing homelessness through centralized distribution sites as well as through direct canvassing efforts. These supplies include snacks, basic hygiene supplies, blankets and other resources. Outreach efforts will also provide information about COVID-19 and where to access help.

To provide easier access for preventative measures, 50 handwashing stations and 47 portable restrooms have been or are in line to be deployed throughout the city in the coming week.

The City is focused on strategies that support efforts to “flatten the curve” by reducing the need for people to travel around the community to access basic needs and shelter. These efforts will evolve and adapt as we continue to learn more and respond to this dynamic situation. You will be able to get the most up to date information on the City’s website at www.eugene-or.gov/4355/COVID-19-Resources-for-Unhoused.

In addition, Lane County has identified two temporary respite sites where unhoused individuals can receive services, including a safe place to sleep, meals, showers and medical screenings. The first site, in Eugene, is the Lane County Fairgrounds. People showing no symptoms or signs of illness will be welcomed in the convention center. Those who are showing signs of illness will be directed to the Wheeler Pavilion. The second site, in Springfield, is the Memorial Building, owned by Willamalane Park and Recreation District.

We want to thank all our community partners in these efforts.

Response Donations and Resources

We are all in this together. If you are a business or individual with some resources to offer, the City created a COVID-19 Response Donations page to link those resources to the emergency medical, safety and civic services in our community that need them. Visit the page to fill out an online resource needs form with the supports that you have to offer. We can take it from there.

United Way of Lane County has their own Response and Resources page where community members can learn more about how to give or receive money, time, or other kinds of support. For further information about the Lane County COVID-19 response visit: www.lanecountyor.gov/coronavirus.

Continue to Stay Home, Save Lives

The City and County’s efforts have been reinforced at the state level. This week, Governor Kate Brown issued a “Stay Home, Save Lives” executive order telling all residents to stay in their residences and immediately limit all movement outside their homes beyond what is absolutely necessary to take care of essential needs. Mayor Lucy Vinis created a video with information about Governor Brown’s executive order and what it means for people living in our community.

Stay Home, Save Lives means:

– Stay home (stay unexposed and do not expose others)
– Only go out for essential services
– Stay six feet or more away from others
– Don’t gather in groups (except for those living in your home)

You likely saw the news reports of people flooding the coastal areas to recreate last weekend. We are hoping people take the precautions seriously. These practices will help us protect our local healthcare system by flattening the pandemic curve. Thank you for all you do to help keep yourselves and each other safe and healthy. It will take all of us working together to reduce the impact of COVID-19.

Remember!
Many services and materials are available free with your library card at our website, including hundreds of thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, streaming movies and shows, music, magazines, and more for all ages. Find links to these services here.

With the May Primary just around the corner, the Eugene Chamber will be providing resources and opportunities for engagement for our members in the upcoming 2020 Primary elections. While the Eugene Chamber does not currently participate in endorsing candidates, we will be featuring a series of virtual forums with candidates in a number of local non-partisan races for Eugene City Council, Eugene’s Water and Electric Board and Lane County Board of Commissioners.  Each moderated event will be streamed live from the Chamber’s Facebook page and hosted by Zoom, for members who wish to participate live by video conference.  To register for the Zoom video, click any of the links below, otherwise, please visit The Eugene Chamber’s Facebook Page during the live broadcasts.

If you have questions you’d like to submit for any of the candidates, please email them to Tiffany Edwards, Director of Business Advocacy at tiffanye@eugenechamber.com.  Recorded broadcasts will be made available here following the live events.

Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis
  |  Friday, March 27  |  7:30am – 9:00am

City Council Ward 1
  |  Tuesday, April 7  |  5:30pm – 7:00pm

City Council Wards 2 & 8  |  
Thursday, April 9  |  5:30pm – 7:00pm

County Commission Position 3  |  
Tuesday, April 14  |  5:30pm – 7:00pm

EWEB Commissioners  |  
Thursday, April 16  |  5:30pm – 7:00pm

As a collaborative dedicated to the health and well-being of our community, Live Healthy Lane is closely monitoring developments surrounding the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Lane County and determining how to help minimize its impact in our local community.

In line with our everyday work, Live Healthy Lane staff are actively supporting United Way efforts to assess and address the needs of Lane County nonprofits related to COVID-19. At this time, the United Way physical office is closed to the public, but our staff is working remotely and available by phone and email. Below are resources developed by and for community partners in response to COVID-19:

Community Response Fund: United Way has activated a Community Response Fund (CRF) to raise funds specifically to help local agencies provide vital aid to people in Lane County. This fund is designed to support nonprofits’ efforts to help people in our community who are experiencing hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic.

–   As of Tuesday, March 24th and thanks to the generosity of Pacific Source Health Plans and the Oregon Community Foundation, UWLC has over $100,000 in the CRF, is working to raise additional dollars, and has opened an application process for distribution. See the attached application.

–   Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Applications received by Monday, March 30th at 5pm will be considered in the first of four rounds. Awards will be announced every two weeks and additional deadlines will be posted at www.unitedwaylane.org/response-fund-application.

–   Please contact Jared Pruch at jpruch@unitedwaylane.org or Holly Mar-Conte at hmar@unitedwaylane.org with any questions.

Local Nonprofit Survey: Nonprofits in Lane County are invited to fill out this short survey so we can better understand how nonprofits are being impacted by this pandemic, and learn about volunteer and in-kind needs to share with the community.

Resources and Updates:

–   Live Healthy Lane (resources for community partners)
–   United Way of Lane County (details on United Way’s response to COVID-19)
–   Lane Kids (resources for individuals and families)

Thank you for your tireless efforts to support our community during this crisis. Together we can do more than each of us can do alone.

Today, Governor Kate Brown issued a new executive order to direct Oregonians to stay home as much as possible to stop the spread of coronavirus. This Stay Home, Save Lives directive is essential for our public health as we work through this pandemic.

Reasons for leaving your home include buying food, accessing health care, fueling up your car and caring for family members and others in need. Physical activity, like jogging or walking, is permitted so long as you can maintain proper social distancing (staying at least six feet away from others). Restaurants that serve takeout and delivery can remain open for those purposes.

All non-essential social and recreational gatherings are immediately prohibited, regardless of size, if a distance of at least six feet between individuals cannot be maintained. Gatherings of members of the same residential household are permitted.

The order closes playgrounds, sports courts, and skate parks, among other types of outdoor recreation facilities. It outlines new guidelines for child care facilities, setting limits and rules on numbers of children allowed in care and outlining that child care groups may not change participants. Failure to comply with the order will be considered an immediate danger to public health and subject to a Class C misdemeanor.

Retail businesses closed by the order include:

• Shopping: Outdoor and indoor malls and retail complexes, although individual types of businesses not subject to the measures may stay open.
• Fitness: Gyms, sports and fitness centers, health clubs and exercise studios.
• Grooming: Barbershops, beauty and nail salons and non-medical wellness spas.
• Entertainment: Theaters, amusement parks, arcades, bowling alleys and pool halls.

Below is a general guide to what everyone should do and not do as long as this executive order is in place.

Please, stay home and do your best to be part of the solution to reduce the spread of the virus.

Important Links:

• Childcare information from the Oregon Early Learning Division
• Resources from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission
• Oregon Employment Department – COVID-19 Related Business Layoffs, Closures, and Unemployment Insurance Benefits
• Meals on Wheels – For Homebound Seniors
• Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP)
• 211.org
• Local Food Banks

For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx

Oregon Governor Kate Brown today issued an executive order, placing a temporary moratorium on residential evictions for nonpayment in light of the public health emergency caused by the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon. The order is effective for 90 days. “Through no fault of their own, many Oregonians have lost jobs, closed businesses, and found themselves without a source of income to pay rent and other housing costs during this coronavirus outbreak,” said Governor Brown. “The last thing we need to do during this crisis is turn out more Oregonians struggling to make ends meet from their homes and onto the streets.

 
The order  doesn’t contemplate potential fallout for landlords, though Brown’s office has convened a task force that is tackling economic damages from the coronavirus.

 

The health and safety of our community is the City of Eugene’s top priority. We are writing today to keep you updated on the actions we are taking in conjunction with our public health partners and with our partners at the County, Springfield and across Eugene to slow the spread of COVID-19. You can also access the latest information on the City’s Coronavirus webpage at eugene-or.gov/coronavirus.

– At noon on Tuesday, March 17, Eugene City Council held an emergency meeting and supported an administrative order declaring a state of emergency. This action is in concert with actions being taken by other jurisdictions, including City of Springfield and Lane County Government. The declaration of emergency authorizes City Manager Pro Tem Sarah Medary to take specific actions to address the COVID-19 emergency including better identifying our changing needs, locating and procuring resources, and ultimately better serving the needs of the community and our region.
– We have activated our City’s Emergency Operations Center that is working in conjunction with our partners at Lane County and City of Springfield to maintain critical services, identify community needs and mobilize coordinated responses.
– In addition to the strategies put in place by Governor Brown and to help slow the spread and protect each other, the City has made the following adjustments to services with guidance from Lane County Public Health and in consultation with our expert emergency response staff:
– Suspended all public meetings.
– Temporarily closed all libraries, community centers and pools and suspended programming.
– Temporarily closed the Hult Center and suspended all programming.
– Modified services across the City can be found and will be updated online at eugene-or.gov/coronavirus.
– Emergency services will not change. We will continue to respond to emergency calls for service, in progress crimes, other high priority life/safety issues, and incidents that require evidence gathering. Our police, fire and medical personnel have the equipment, training and protocols they need to protect themselves and community members.
– We are actively working with our homeless service partners and the County to help identify and meet needs to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among people who are unhoused. We have deployed dozens of handwashing stations in strategic locations throughout the community, including downtown. We are finding alternative shelter options and making sure shelters have the supplies and information they need to safely serve people who are unhoused.
– We recognize this event significantly impacts many sectors of our business community. We are working closely with economic development partners, including the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, Lane County, the Small Business Development Center at Lane Community College, and Business Oregon, to provide assistance to area employers.
– COVID-19 Information for: Businesses and Workers.

What Can You Do to Help
Healthy behaviors:
– Cover your cough. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then throw the tissue away. If you don’t have a tissue, cough into your elbow.
– Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if you don’t have access to soap and water.
– Avoid touching your face, especially eyes, nose and mouth.
– Stay home if you are sick. Avoid contact with people who are sick.

Social distancing:
– Don’t shake hands. Avoid unnecessary contact by not shaking hands, hugging or kissing as greetings. Find other, non-contact ways to say hello.
– Leave space. Maintain a 6-foot radius between yourself and others in public spaces. (Droplets that may carry influenza and COVID-19 can commonly travel up to 6 feet.)
– Think it through. If you would normally reconsider attending an event during flu season, reconsider it now. People over 60 and those with pre-existing respiratory, cardiac conditions, or who are immunocompromised should avoid all large gatherings.

Help each other:
– Check on your neighbors – Offer to run errands or get groceries for someone who might not be able to go themselves.
– Reduce stigma – COVID-19 is a virus that does not see racial, religious, or any differences between humans.
– Support local organizations with donations.
– Support local businesses and arts and cultural organizations by buying gift cards, tickets for future events or ordering take out.

Where You Can Get the Best Information:
– Lane County Public Health – www.lanecountyor.gov/coronavirus
– Lane County Call Center – 541-682-1380
– City of Eugene – www.eugene-or.gov/coronavirus
– Oregon Health Authority – COVID-19
– Centers for Disease Control – www.cdc.gov/coronavirus

In light of school closures due to COVID-19 HOOTS (Helping Out Our Teens in Schools) will be offering mental health support by phone for students, families, and staff of high schools in the 4J, Springfield, Bethel and Oakridge school districts. HOOTS is primarily staffed by and born from the work that the CAHOOTS mobile crisis response program provides the Eugene/Springfield community. HOOTS normally operates weekly clinics at high-schools in our community, each staffed with a crisis counselor and medic.

This phone line will be accessible from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, March 16th and continuing until schools are able to reopen. Staff is able to provide short term counseling, resource referrals, and OHP sign up. We understand that this is a time of heightened anxiety for our community and that we are all in need of additional reassurance and support. Many social services in the area are working on providing services over the phone or via virtual platforms. Please reach out to your ongoing providers to find out if this is something available to you.

For students, families, and staff of Churchill, North Eugene High, Sheldon, South Eugene High, Ecco, Network Charter, Wellsprings, Twin Rivers Charter, Willamette High and Kalapuya, please call (541) 246-2342.

For students, families, and staff of Academy of Arts and Academics, Gateways, Springfield High, Thurston High and Oakridge High, please call (541) 246-2332.

The White Bird Crisis line will continue to be accessible 24/7 by phone at (541) 687-4000. 15th Night will also be continuing to offer support and resources for unhoused youth and those working with them via phone and text at (541) 246-4046.
For an in-person response, CAHOOTS continues to operate 24/7 at this time, if you are in Eugene please call (541) 682-5111, for those in Springfield please call (541) 726-3714.

Lane County Public Health opens a call center in response to COVID-19 concerns.

Lane County is opening a call center beginning March 10, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. to answer community questions regarding the Novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. The call center, which can be reached by calling 541-682-1380, is part of the Joint Information Center (JIC) established on March 9, 2020 by Lane County Health & Human Services to get the most accurate information out to community members. While Lane County still does not have any positive cases of COVID-19 at this time, the call center will provide community members a way to access up-to-date information.

The call center will be staffed by Lane County Health and Human Services employees, and will be available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for non emergency inquiries related to COVID-19. Community members experiencing an emergency medical event are asked to call 9-1-1. Health officials urge good hand hygiene, covering coughs, and staying home if sick.

UPDATES AT:  www.lanecountyor.gov/coronavirus

Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD)
Mission: to bring together a broad array of community organizations to foster an effective response to the people of Lane County in times of disaster.

COAD Facebook Page: Lane County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD)