Anne Aurand, Communications Director for the City of Bend, announced this afternoon that in accordance with State guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Central Oregon, numerous meetings and open houses are canceled today through April 8.
The first presumed case of COVID-19 in Deschutes County was reported March 11 by Deschutes County Public Health. As of March 12, there are 24 confirmed cases in Oregon across eight counties, including three new cases near Portland reported Thursday afternoon. More than 20 people in the U.S. have died from the virus and most of these cases have been in Washington State. Stay up to date with all the latest coronavirus news in Central Oregon at the Source’s “Coronavirus HQ” page.
Canceled City of Bend meetings include:
- All project-based public meetings and/or open houses
- All standing advisory committee meetings and activities
Bend City Council meetings will continue as scheduled, but with social distancing recommendations which include reducing the length of meetings, increasing the space between chairs and encouraging community members to livestream the meetings instead of attending in person. The City already livestreams all of its City Council meetings.
City employees are encouraged to stay home if they are sick, and some employees will telecommute and/or attend remote conferencing meetings when possible.
“These changes aim to protect the health of our community as well as our work force, so we can continue to provide crucial City services to our customers,” Aurand wrote in statement today. “The situation is continually evolving and we may need to make additional changes in the future.”
The Source is maintaining an active, growing list of event cancellations in Central Oregon. Check out our event cancellations in Central Oregon page, and email calendar@bendsource.com with updated event information.
This article appears in Mar 11-18, 2020.
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