by Justin Aufdermauer | Executive Director
Last Friday, Governor Kate Brown held a press conference that outlined statewide guidance changes for a two week period starting Nov. 18 – Dec. 2.
There were several key takeaways from this two-week pause:
· Restaurants and bars will be takeout only; no indoor or outdoor service.
· Retail stores (indoor and outdoor) will have a limited capacity of 75%*.
· Venues that host indoor or outdoor events are closed.
· All gyms and fitness organizations are closed.
· All indoor and outdoor recreation facilities are closed.
· Social gatherings (indoor and outdoor) are restricted to no more than 6 people, with a maximum of two households.
· Churches are limited to a capacity of 25 people indoors OR 50 people outdoors.
The freeze does not affect current protocols for personal services like barbershops, hair salons or non-medical massage therapy. It also does not change protocol for lodging providers, homeless sheltering, outdoor recreation and sports, youth programs, childcare, K-12 schools, K-12 sports currently allowed, and higher education. All will continue to follow previous guidelines from the Oregon Health Authority.
I’ll just be real with you: it’s a bummer that we’re back here and the State got this call wrong. You have done a great job through Covid-19, Tillamook County, and there is bo reason for us to bare the brunt of other regions problems. Yet as I sit write this frustrated and disappointed by this move, i am reminded that we have done it before and survived, and we will do it again.
To help, we are bringing back the #TillamookTakeout challenge for this two week period of Nov. 18 – Dec. 2. The rules are the same: every time you get take out from a local restaurant, snap a photo and post it on Facebook or Instagram using #TillamookTakeout. Just posting the photo with the hashtag will automatically enter you to win gift cards to local restaurants. There is no limit to how many times you can enter; the more you eat out, the more likely you are to win!
We had immense success with this campaign earlier this year and were able to show our restaurants and eateries how much they mean to us. And, I think some of us loved the excuse to not cook every now and then. So I am calling on each and every one of you reading this to channel that same energy and let’s show the rest of the state what Tillamook County is made of. We are hopeful that this latest shut down will not last more than two weeks and even more hopeful that we can use this time to make an impact on the businesses most affected. So grab some take out, get a picture, and use #TillamookTakeout. Be sure to follow along in our Facebook group Tillamook Coast Takeout + Delivery as well, for up-to-date menus and other information.
We can do this, Tillamook!