KWSO News Wed., Dec. 23, 2020

There were 6 new cases of COVID-19 reported for Warm Springs in Tuesday’s Community COVID-19 Update (12/22/20).  Those results were from 88 tests conducted on Monday (12/21/20). The report showed 42 active cases on the Reservation and 109 close contacts being monitored daily. 10 Warm Springs clinic employees were to the first to receive the Moderna-COVID-19 vaccine in Warm Springs, which arrived on Tuesday.

Warm Springs Sanitation drivers will be doing pickups for the Friday neighborhoods on Thursday this week and next week due to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Please remember to check on elder and disabled neighbors and family to assist them with getting their totes to the end of their driveways if you can.

Oregon Health Authority reported Tuesday 35 more COVID-19 deaths in Oregon and 1,282 new confirmed and presumptive cases, bringing the state total to 105,073. In Central Oregon, there were 7 new cases in Crook County, 52 in Deschutes County and 20 in Jefferson County reported.

Some Oregonians who have been unable to renew their drivers’ licenses or vehicle registration due to the pandemic will get another grace period in the new year. KLCC’s Chris Lehman reports:

“The Oregon DMV says it’s reached an agreement with Oregon law enforcement agencies on a rolling citation moratorium. It applies to people with expired licenses, registration tags or disabled persons parking placards…but only if the documents have expired since November 1 and have been expired fewer than three months. DMV spokesman David House says the agency is starting to catch up from the backlog created during the early days of the pandemic. ‘In most cases, if your tags expire and you renew online, usually you get those within a week. So there isn’t a backlog in all our business, but there is a backlog in some of the types of business.’ House says if you do need an in-person appointment, plan ahead. There’s a two-month wait at some Oregon DMV locations. I’m Chris Lehman in Salem.”