Phased Reopening (house, schools, campgrounds)

[oregonwoodsmoke]

It is the start of camping and fishing season. If the rural counties are opened up, the good sniffly folks of Portland will pack up their RV's and off road vehicles and head out to use the campgrounds, state parks, lakes, rivers, and restaurants of the rural area.


The low populations areas don't have Covid only because the infected and contagious haven't been visiting there. Simply being rural is not what is protecting the population.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

It is the start of camping and fishing season. If the rural counties are opened up, the good sniffly folks of Portland will pack up their RV's and off road vehicles and head out to use the campgrounds, state parks, lakes, rivers, and restaurants of the rural area.


The low populations areas don't have Covid only because the infected and contagious haven't been visiting there. Simply being rural is not what is protecting the population.

She wasn't talking about opening up campgrounds and parks. Those can't be opened up for a long while. I can see parks and beaches being closed for a year.

You do realize that it isn't an all or nothing, right? You can open some things and not others?

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

What people are going to go traveling anywhere? That's crazy talk. Just because a county opens up doesn't mean that people are going to go there in droves.

There are a whopping 1400 people in the entire Wheeler County. There are more than 1400 people out and
about every day just at Lowe's in Salem every day. I have a better chance of getting Covid from someone at my local store than someone in Wheeler County, even if I went and vacationed there. You could send 1400 vacationers there doubling the population, and I would still have a better chance of getting Covid here locally than I would on vacation there.

You can tell them they need to stay at home if it makes you feel better, but in reality, it is meaningless there. Why pretend that Wheeler being ordered to stay at home has any sort of significant impact on the spread? It is the valley that is the problem.

Now you are saying that it will work, because even if the Stay At Home order is lifted, most people will still stay at home anyway. Which is probably true, but it only takes one infected person to spread it around.

Again, the reason that rural counties have no cases is because they are not testing. The chances that Wheeler County has no active cases is highly unlikely. The virus doesn't stop at county lines.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Now you are saying that it will work, because even if the Stay At Home order is lifted, most people will still stay at home anyway. Which is probably true, but it only takes one infected person to spread it around.

Again, the reason that rural counties have no cases is because they are not testing. The chances that Wheeler County has no active cases is highly unlikely. The virus doesn't stop at county lines.

But they are testing. Here in Baker County, the hospital has implemented drive-through testing. All the tests have turned out negative. Of course, like just about everywhere in the US, because of the limited supply of test kits, only people who think they have symptons are being tested.

Maybe someday, when there is an unlimited supply of kits, people everywhere will be tested at random, even those with no symptoms.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

She wasn't talking about opening up campgrounds and parks. Those can't be opened up for a long while. I can see parks and beaches being closed for a year.

You do realize that it isn't an all or nothing, right? You can open some things and not others?

That would make zero sense. You think people will be able to eat in restaurants and drink in bars, but not launch their boats for the next year? The beaches are open now. The state parks will reopen on May 8, unless the closure is extended. Parks will be in Step 1.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

It is the start of camping and fishing season. If the rural counties are opened up, the good sniffly folks of Portland will pack up their RV's and off road vehicles and head out to use the campgrounds, state parks, lakes, rivers, and restaurants of the rural area.


The low populations areas don't have Covid only because the infected and contagious haven't been visiting there. Simply being rural is not what is protecting the population.

Exactly. Rural Oregon was lucky, because when the Stay At Home order was put in place, the Portland Metro was already being ravaged, but the virus hadn't had time to spread to the rural areas. In short even though it was too late for Portland, the timing was just right for most of the rest of Oregon. But if they let the rural counties open up prematurely, it won't take much time for them to catch up to the urban areas.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by karlsch

But they are testing. Here in Baker County, the hospital has implemented drive-through testing. All the tests have turned out negative. Of course, like just about everywhere in the US, because of the limited supply of test kits, only people who think they have symptons are being tested.

Maybe someday, when there is an unlimited supply of kits, people everywhere will be tested at random, even those with no symptoms.

As of yesterday, Baker County had 56 negative tests. That is nowhere near enough to be conclusive. That's a 0.3% test rate. There almost certainly are infected people in Baker County. The shutdown has likely prevented community spread.

[redguard57]

I find it sad that so many people want to divide and blame each other as if the virus recognizes the difference between rural and urban. It's so sad how much the rural people seem to hate the urban. We are all connected.

YES people want to get out of their houses and into the world. At least the people who still have money. I know people who have been reserving Airbnbs on the coast for as soon as the lockdown ends, even if events aren't going on, restaurants are take-out only, and trails are closed, because "at least we can hang out in a different house." The people who own Airbnbs will be happy to get some revenue again and will rent to them. They'll bring the virus with them.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

She wasn't talking about opening up campgrounds and parks. Those can't be opened up for a long while. I can see parks and beaches being closed for a year.

You do realize that it isn't an all or nothing, right? You can open some things and not others?

BLM and USFS hiking trails were never closed. I don't know about campgrounds, but it should be a snap to stay isolated in an unimproved BLM or USFS campground. The rivers aren't closed around here either. I took my springer to the South Umpqua for some water training a couple weeks ago. There were a couple fishermen's rigs parked along the river, but I didn't see anyone.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Yeah, the entire South Coast was like that too. No cases until two weeks ago. But it finally got here somehow. Do you seriously think those rural counties would have no cases if not for the shut down? If travelers were coming through and eating at restaurants, do you think the locals would just magically build a shield around themselves to keep from getting the virus? Of course not. That is the shutdown working.

Also most of the counties you are talking about, that have no cases, is because they are not testing. If you don't test, of course, you can't have positives. Wheeler County, has tested exactly eight people as of today. Surprise, surprise, they have no COVID-19 cases. Who would think?

When will Oregon reopen businesses_ _ kgw.com

Coos County has 4 cases, all in the correctional center.

You have to realize we are all going to catch it eventually. How many people do you know who have never had a cold? We can't stay locked down forever. All anyone is planning to do is keep the number of cases low enough that medical facilities are not overwhelmed.