KWSO News for Mon., Jul. 13, 2020

Friday afternoon’s Community Covid-19 update from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs held the number of cases of coronavirus at 103 for the reservation community.  76 of those people have recovered.  As of Friday, 1329 tests have been done with 41 tests still pending.  7 people have been hospitalized with 5 individuals discharged.

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs staff continues to review and process applications submitted for the Cares Act Emergency and Disaster Relief program in the order received. The first group of payments was scheduled to go out on Friday last week. They plan to process payments on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s in the upcoming weeks. They ask that you do not call or email to inquire about the status of your payment unless you have waited at least 2 weeks after you have submitted an application.  The staff will work to meet the goal of processing payments within 1 week of the application being submitted.  All checks will be mailed out, so it is very important that you include your current mailing address on your application.  It is also a requirement that applications be signed and dated by the individual applying, attesting to the information they provided on their application is true and accurate. For information about how to apply for CTWS CARES funding, including the application, visit the Tribal Website.

Oregon officials say 332 new cases of the coronavirus have been reported and two more people with COVID-19 have died. Oregon has had 12,170 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began. There have been 234 deaths in the state linked to the coronavirus.

Experts say the Pacific Northwest could be in for a busy wildfire season this summer and the American Red Cross needs volunteers to help in local communities. The coronavirus pandemic will make it challenging to deploy trained disaster volunteers from other parts of the country should a large emergency occur in Oregon. The Cascades Region Red Cross is asking for folks to train now to be a Red Cross volunteer. There is a special need for volunteers to support sheltering efforts. Visit www.redcross.org and click on volunteer to learn more.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Tribes across the country are wrestling with competing needs, restrictive laws and inadequate staffing as they try to meet a tight federal deadline on spending billions of dollars in virus relief funds. Congress set aside $8 billion for tribes that must be spent by the end of the year and meet strict federal guidelines. Otherwise, the tribes risk having to send it back. Officials on the vast Navajo Nation have received $714 million in aid but approved just $60 million for health care, protective equipment and front-line workers against the virus. Rifts between the tribal government’s legislative and executive branches have delayed putting more of the money to use.