KWSO News for Tue., Jun. 30, 2020

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Covid-19 update yesterday reported 9 more positive cases of Covid-19 on the reservation.  There have been 72 positive cases.  53 of those individuals have recovered.  1051 tests have been conducted at the Health and Wellness Center since testing began.  There were 28 tests pending at the end of yesterday.  In addition to testing for those with symptoms or who have come in contact with someone who has Covid-19 —  the clinic is also continuing to do surveillance testing of high risk community members and also broader surveillance testing of Tribal Employees who are randomly selected.

The Oregon Health Authority’s report early yesterday morning showed COVID-19 claimed two more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 204.    There were146 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 8,485.

Gov. Kate Brown announced Monday that people throughout Oregon will be required to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces starting Wednesday to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  The guidance applies to businesses and members of the public visiting indoor public spaces.  Face coverings that cover the nose and mouth play a critical role in reducing the spread of the disease because droplets from people’s breath can carry the virus to others without people realizing it.  Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (or OSHA) will take the lead in enforcing face covering requirements for all covered Oregon businesses.

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Offices already require face coverings as do Indian Head Casino, Warm Springs Market, DMJ’s Shell Station and Three Warriors Market in Simnasho.

The Oregon Department of Human Services announced that it has received approval by the Food and Nutrition Service to provide an additional $30 million to eligible Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in July. SNAP recipients will be provided another month of emergency assistance to address ongoing food needs. As was done the past several months, all eligible Oregon SNAP households will receive their maximum benefit amount in July. Current SNAP customers can expect their maximum benefit allotment on July 11^th. Households that already receive the maximum allotment will not receive additional benefits. Oregon DHS will continue to do telephone interviews for new SNAP applications and recertifications.