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Shortly after 7 pm on June 11, Gov. Kate Brown rejected Multnomah County's application to begin reopening the following day, saying Portland had to wait an additional week amid rising COVID-19 cases. WW reported the news on wweek.com. Here's what our readers had to say:
Charity Fain via Facebook: "I hate it, but it's the right call. The cases are rising."
@PaulAtkinsonPDX via Twitter: "Epidemiologists say no. Governor listens to the science and delivers the message. The virus does not care about politics."
Bryce Butler via wweek.com: "Why is Oregon ranked 49th out of 50 states for rates of virus testing? This is an inexcusable lapse. How can we even contemplate reopening counties with so little crucial information?"
Caleb Everest via Facebook: "Instead of just sitting around for three months, we should have tested everyone and done contact tracing. That's what they did in Wuhan and they beat it. Then when six new cases emerged, they tested almost everyone again…10 million tests in 10 days. That's how you beat this thing without a vaccine."
Erin Guest via Facebook: "If everyone would do what they are supposed to, we wouldn't have a spike again. I see so many people out all over not wearing masks and not social distancing. Why is everyone getting so relaxed on this? Please take it seriously so we can open safely."
Mo Wark via Facebook: "I'm disgusted that she didn't make an announcement earlier. So many businesses spent money they don't have bringing employees back to prepare."
Christoph Elliot via wweek.com: "I find all of the criticism of Brown to be hysterical. People…there is a deadly virus among us. It doesn't give a hoot about your business, your bank account, your politics or your belief system. It doesn't care whether you believe in it or not. It's here and it's making people sick and dead."
County's new holiday isn't free
In Latisha Jensen's article citing the Multnomah County chair's decision to award all county employees a paid day off for June 19 ["Juneteenth Is Now a Paid Holiday for Multnomah County Workers," wweek.com, June 12, 2020], she applauds the move but fails to mention the cost to taxpayers for the wages paid to those employees as well as the long-term contribution to their pension account accruals over time.
A noble gesture, gifted without a vote, of sizable cost as if it were as simple as candy on Halloween.
I'm disgusted, as this smells of cronyism in an election year, as does Mayor Wheeler's gift to city workers for bereavement for George Floyd of a week's pay.
Who gives these politicians the right to make those costly decisions without a vote of the board or the public?
Incredible.
Ray Ozyjowski
Northeast Portland
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Email: mzusman@wweek.com