May 22, 2020

There have been no new cases reported today in Union or Wallowa Counties. In order to continue in Phase I reopening and progress to Phase 2 please remember to continue physical distancing, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently and most importantly, stay home if you’re feeling sick. Social gatherings should be kept at 25 people or less with physical distancing measures in place.

COVID-19 symptoms to watch for are shortness of breath, fever, cough, muscle pain, chills, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. If you need medical attention, you should contact your primary care physician. The Center for Disease Control recommends that if you are feeling ill or cannot maintain appropriate social distancing, wearing a cloth face covering is encouraged. Ideally, cloth face coverings should be washed after every use. Find out more information on cloth face covering best practices at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/…/coronavirus-how-to-care-f…

Suggestions on how to wash cloth face coverings include:
• Bandannas, face scarves and masks made of fabric, such as cotton, can be washed in your regular laundry using hot water.
• Disposable, blue surgical masks cannot be laundered or cleaned and should be thrown away when it is visibly soiled or damaged.
• After laundering fabric masks, tumble dry in the dryer on a high heat setting.
• Unscented laundry detergent may be preferred if you are sensitive to perfumes.
• Hand washing masks is also effective, using hot, soapy water. Scrub the mask for at least 20 seconds, and dry on high heat in the dryer.
• Store clean masks in a clean place when you are not using them.
COVID-related scams continue to increase throughout the nation and in Oregon. Authorities caution citizens to continue to be alert. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission have reported a spike in coronavirus related scams, including fake home testing kits, fake cures, and other malicious attempts to prey on COVID-19 fears. The Treasury Department will NOT ask you to pay anything for the CARES Act funding most citizens will receive, and will not contact you for your bank account information. If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from the government and asking for this type of information, please report them to www.ftc.gov/complaint. Learn more about how to protect yourself from these types of scams at https://www.ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams-consumer-advice

The next update will be provided on Tuesday, May 26, 2020