Message from the AIAO Public Policy Consultant

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Cindy Robert
AIAO Public Policy Consultant

A Different Kind of Resiliency…

I remember when we first introduced our State Resilience Officer bill at the 2015 legislative assembly. HB 2270 caused confusion as we did not define “resilience” and found that it meant something different to each legislator we spoke to. While in the body of the bill, we made it clear that the role of the Officer was to “implement and coordinate seismic safety and resilience goal setting and state agency planning and preparation to improve seismic safety and resilience” as the bill passed each body, legislators were still not drilling down on that focus. They wanted “resilience” to encompass so much more: emergency preparedness, active shooter, diseases, weather hazards…both natural and human-caused events.

 So, here we are amid COVID and as we start to turn the corner, public policymakers are looking at immediate needs and long-term planning. The main question will eventually be what have we learned that we can use to be more prepared and resilient the next time an epidemic occurs? As the public policy pendulum swings and reaction to current events provides the energy and amplitude, the definition of “Resilience” has again shifted.

Reopening

We keep hearing “We don’t control the timeline; the virus controls the timeline” – but by nature we are time block thinkers. It is about to be summer which mean outside activities, vacations and picnics.  Fall is football and school. You pay rent/mortgage start of month. You pay taxes in April, or on a quarterly date if you are self-employed. Breakfast in am, dinner in pm. Meetings in one-hour blocks. Starts and stops, all predetermined. So it is hard as we plan for reopening to not be able to begin with a “start date.” Instead the Governor has looked to sectors (i.e. restaurants, recreation, higher ed) and regions to plan on three phases for moving toward our new normal, and we may see sectors and regions start phase 1 at different times.

One constant in the conversation is that the criteria for starting are benchmarks to be met:

Gating Criteria:

  • Symptoms: Downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses reported within 14-day period AND downward trajectory of COVID-like syndromic cases reported within 14-day period.

  • Cases: Downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period OR downward trajectory of positive cases as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period.

  • Capacity: Hospitals treat all patients without crisis care and robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers.

Core State Preparedness Items:

  • Testing and Contact Tracing: Screening/testing for symptomatic individuals, sentinel surveillance sites screening for asymptomatic individuals, contact tracing of all COVID+ cases.

  • Healthcare System Capacity: Sufficient PPE, ability to surge ICU capacity.

  • Plans: for health and safety of workers in critical industries, health and safety of those living and working in high-risk facilities, mass transit, general social distancing and face coverings protocols, monitor conditions and immediately take steps to mitigate any rebounds/outbreaks by restarting a phase or returning to a previous phase, depending on severity.

Once the above Gating and Core Preparedness items are met, the Governor will direct Phase 1 to start.

The 3 distinct phases have some government protocols and a waiting period of at least 14 days between each to make sure gating criteria numbers are not moving in the wrong direction:

Phase 1:

  • Group size max: 10

  • Vulnerable individuals stay-at-home

  • Telework encouraged

  • Elective surgeries resume

  • Workplace common areas remain closed

  • Minimize non-essential travel

  • Schools and youth activities remain closed

  • Large venues remain closed

Phase 2:

  • Group size limit increased (perhaps to 50)

  • Vulnerable populations remain at home

  • Schools and gyms open with physical distancing

  • Non-essential travel resumes

Phase 3:

  • Mass gathering size increases

  • Worksites have unrestricted staffing

  • Visitors to nursing homes allowed

  • Restaurants and bars have more seating

Special Session

Many people wonder why a Special Session of the legislature has not occurred. Simple: it is not needed nor advisable at this point! The Governor has successfully invoked executive orders to establish emergency procedures and disruption of normal statutory regulations. The Emergency Board has also met to allocate emergency fund dollars available to them to help with COVID-19 response. But all other fund disbursement will need legislative approval AFTER the quarterly Revenue Forecast is delivered May 20.  Remember, in short session we had a huge surplus to be spent but the walkout stopped any allocations from happening – now those extra dollars are highly unlikely anyway. Once this mid-biennium report happens, then the legislature can come in and make important decisions with real information. Not only information from Department of Revenue will be forthcoming and helpful to our state leaders, but also from the federal government.  Expect to see it in June.

Resources

The Oregon Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program is just now open and accepting applications for self-employed, contract, and gig workers who are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits. Application is at the top of the OED CARES Act Page.

Other Oregon Employment Department Resources can be found here: Q&A’s on employment issues related to COVID-19.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reports up-to-date information regarding testing statistics that can be found on their website

And what I consider the most comprehensive (aside from the AIAO Resources page) and well organized site is from the Governor’s OfficeCOVID-19 Resources