Lincoln County has extended restrictions on short-term lodging through May 31st. The coastal county is looking for a way to have a phased re-opening, hopefully in June.
Tourism is a huge economic driver for the Oregon Coast. But, to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Lincoln County put a stop to short term stays at local hotels, motels and rentals. Claire Hall is a Lincoln County Commissioner.
“It is truly economically devastating for them and their workforce and they’re encouraging us to look at at least a partial reopening sooner rather than later.”
Hall says they’re consulting with the lodging industry on ways to re-open safely. She says they’re working with other coastal counties, Clatsop and Tillamook, who have also limited short term lodging. Hall compares the coronavirus shutdown to flipping a switch and says reopening has to be the slow turning of a dial.
“Let’s go about this thoughtfully. Let’s make it data-driven. Let’s take into account health, safety and economic impacts and hopefully we can find, and I’m confident we will find some kind of a reasonable balance.”
Lincoln County has only 5 positive cases of the virus and no deaths. Hall says there’s a large concentration of senior citizens in her county and she’s glad their social distancing restrictions have helped to keep the virus under control. But Hall says they have a large senior population, and keeping their residents healthy is the top priority.
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