What does this Thursday shot of two ducks in a ditch have to do with the coronavirus? Not a thing.
Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa has signed a paper declaring a “local state of emergency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The city council will meet Wednesday to ratify the resolution.
The declaration gives City Manager Peter Troedsson the authority to redirect city funds for emergency use. It also confers the authority to “order such other measures as are found to be immediately necessary for the protection of life and/or property.”
It doesn’t appear, though, that the manager can do anything about things outside the city’s purview, such as panic buying of toilet paper or other necessities by members of the public. The resolution’s reference to city funds, and the suspension of normal city procurement procedures, is intended to “reduce the impact of the … pandemic on employees of and services delivered by the City of Albany.”
The resolution takes effect immediately and lasts until March 27 but can be extended by two-week increments.
As of Friday morning, there were 30 cases of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in Oregon, including eight in Linn County, all of them at the Lebanon Veterans’ Home. Since Jan. 24, some 524 people statewide had been monitored for the virus, the Oregon Health Authority said. Of those, 337 didn’t have it, and 157 were still pending.
The Health Authority has a lot of information about this on its website here. In a section on frequent questions, the Health Authority says people should NOT quit going to stores or restaurants. “Lost business harms family’s incomes as well,” it says. “Please continue to visit the businesses and restaurants as you normally do.”
The Albany council’s special meeting is set for 5:15 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall. Otherwise, all city meetings are canceled until further notice. (hh)
“canceled”, or, “cancelled”
I see both spellings on the city’s website. Evidently some in city hall prefer British English over American English.
And if this is a real emergency on Friday, why treat it as routine by waiting until the next scheduled meeting on Wednesday to ratify it? Every day counts, no?
Tell that to 45. “Every day counts, no?” He was notified back in January and squashed any action aside from limiting some travel from China. Some. He says all. Just another lie out of his mouth.
So like the Federal level, better late than never at local level I guess.
Why can’t Albany be like Independence?
On Thursday, their Mayor declares an emergency. On Friday, their council holds an emergency meeting and ratifies the declaration.
Hasso’s article doesn’t even mention Trump. If you got a problem with Trump, take your rants to another blog.
Shadle, does it really need to mention 45? LOL
The more important question is: why would anyone want to be like Independence?
The actions of our President (any President) are absolutely central to the whole notion of “emergency.”
Your communist candidate says he wouldn’t close borders while your Alzheimer’s candidate criticized Trumps closing the borders on January 31 the same day he ordered it. Without the closing the US would be exactly like Italy! So leave your Trump bashing to some left wing rag that agrees with you.
The Duck in the photo are very appropriate, on the surface Ducks are always look calm and collected, but under the surface their two feet are paddling like crazy.
Great point. Thanks.
Stores: please ration items being hoarded, so all get something.Thank you.
Perhaps the City could post Toilet Paper Hoarder-Engagement Prevention (TP-HEP) agents at major retailers and grocers to prevent panic buying. With Trump’s recent announcement, bringing the private sector onboard in the struggle against COVID-19, ramping-up the City’s action against hoarding at the nearby Walmart might serve as a fine example to the rest of Albany’s citizenry.
Amazing the amount of paranoia going around… But maybe not in this current day & age. Seems like no one bothers to read provided information anymore. It’s easier to think the apocalypse is nigh. I mean panicking over toilet paper? You’ve got to be kidding me! ROFLMAO!
Why should anyone listen to this guy when panic is the mood-du jour?
“Straight-talking Fauci explains outbreak to a worried nation”
https://apnews.com/e9d289a802222800a6eeb56e6be28333
Laugh all you want.
Today-Saturday-2PM at Wally World
Bananas – gone
fresh veggies – nearly gone
flour – gone
sugar – gone
eggs – gone
butter – nearly gone
toilet paper being rationed out by two Wally World employees who looked overwhelmed to say the least.
I suggest this is NOT anything to roll around on your floor and laugh about.
So – Should we laugh or cry at the totally irrational panic buying?
Cry.
I am by nature, a “stocker”…I pretty much have two of everything (one in use, one in the pantry or freezer). We could ‘self-quarantine’ for the next month or so without any problems. If I run out of bread, I can make more.
But most people aren’t. They buy what they need in accordance to their pay days and that is all they have. A lot of pay periods are ending today with paychecks being issued in four days…what are they going to be able to buy?
I was at Fred Meyer yesterday picking up stuff for my son and his family who live in McMinnville (they have a 3-year old and a 1-month old). Frozen vegetables…empty. Pasta and rice…empty. Beans, both bags and cans…empty. ZERO paper products. The meat section looked okay…until you looked closer. Most of the time the packages are stacked 3 high, now it was single layer. Various pork sausages were still frozen. Not a lot of eggs left…mainly 24 packs and Jumbo. All the large bags of cat food were gone. I didn’t check the dog food, but it’s probably the same.
There was an article on Yahoo.com this morning about a guy named Matt Colvin of Hixson Tenn. He has 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in his garage that he can’t sell because Amazon suspended his account…he was selling them at $125. He honestly doesn’t think that he has done anything wrong.
FYI – I make soap. I have a box that I’m taking to Help Hands today…my ‘uglies’ that I have cut in half. I’ve been selling the rest at cost, so I can make more, but I’ve also been just giving it away. It’s what we are SUPPOSED to do…help our neighbors…not steal from them
You can also “arm yourself” in public with one of these. No CHP required.:-)
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Forehead-Thermometer-Electronic-Function/dp/B07VL2FCMH/
Discalimer: I’ve had one for almost a year now – works very fast and never touches your forehead…
Like hj, you’d rather misdirect attention away from the city.
Is the Mayor and Council flying behind, or ahead, of the power curve?
Dr. Fauci said it was a failing. A failing that there were not enough test kits. And still are not.
Who is in charge….. who is the dear leader? 45! He is a failure and should resign NOW!
btw Shadle who made you the grand master of the Cult of 45?
Test kits they had didn’t work. They can only make them so fast. If we didn’t off shore everything, we’d be in better shape. Once you’re in the life boat it doesn’t matter how you got there but that you work together.
It should be noted that all of these emergency declarations give the government more power and control. It will be interesting to see if this extra control will be given up when this all blows over.
“””… the Health Authority says people should NOT quit going to stores or restaurants.”””
I haven’t eaten in a sit-down restaurant in decades nor had restaurant-take-out for almost as long. Many reasons, not just food safety. Here’s what could get me back:
Close the interior to customers to protect the staff (and me). Sell 100% frozen meals (no extras like bread or salad). Order and pay online, pick up outside the restaurant using a code. Convert the expectation for tipping into an explicit service charge included in the price. Frozen, so I can follow the usual food-safety guidelines for heating time/temparature; also to stock up after an initial try.
Others might like fresh meals and/or delivery service. Turn a potential disaster into an opportunity.
schwans.com does all of what you describe – (frozen) and they deliver locally…
Thanks, Ray. I might need them one day.
Some notes after spending way too much time on their website:
Mostly very standard, unhealthy supermarket stuff. Some ready made meals for microwave, some do-it-yourself needing oven or skillet, a few fruits and vegetables (some out-of-stock). Their pizzas are all either “processed” red meat or plain. Prices significantly higher than at Winco, etc, but delivery is cheap or free. NO TIPPING!!! (HURRAY!!!). Their gimmickry-induced entropy is nowhere near as bad as Fred Meyer. Website is a confusing “featured items” time-waster, but no technical issues (third-party-script-blocker friendly). National company with operations in Salem and Eugene.
“Giving You No-Touch Drop-off Delivery Options”
https://www.schwans.com/landing/?id=coronavirus-update
All true. We use it for about 5-10% of our foodstuffs. You are paying for the “free delivery” obviously. However, it does come to your door and the driver (Greg) is super friendly! :-)
Well, I have it on the best medical authority that you MUST be alive to catch the virus. Therefore, all morgues across the country have suspended any extra cleaning as their clients most likely won’t catch “it”…:) :)
Does the smart money invest in Columbariums?