The Malheur County Health Department appreciates hearing from the public and answering questions to help support everyone who lives in our community. A nurse phone line is open during business hours to take your calls at 541-889-7279.

In an effort to answer more frequently asked questions, we have developed a poster of recommendations for public action when and if you ever leave your home. Additional COVID-19 FAQ and fact sheets are available from the Oregon Health Authority at healthoregon.org/coronavirus.

Many questions we receive are about what to do if you believe you’ve had contact with someone who is symptomatic or to report Stay Home, Save Lives order violations. We recommend the following, in addition to the guidance we’ve posted previously.

If you’re symptomatic or if you’ve had exposure:

• People who are exposed to someone who has symptoms or tests positive are encouraged to monitor symptoms for two weeks after contact and continue following prevention and social distancing measures. Health care providers or employers may request that you quarantine at home. If you are not sure what to do, call us at 541-889-7279.
• Monitoring symptoms means taking your temperature twice a day, noting if you have a temp of 100 degrees or higher, a new cough or shortness of breath. Those are the most common symptoms, but you should also pay attention to new onset of fatigue, loss of taste and smell, diarrhea, or vomiting. If you develop symptoms that are mild enough to manage at home, isolate in a designated sick room and notify those who you have had close contact (those you live and work with, those you’ve had contact within 6 feet for over 15 minutes) with up to two days prior to the onset of symptoms.
• If you do not have access to a thermometer, you could ask someone in your household to feel your forehead twice a day to notice if you are warmer than normal. Chills, sweats, headache, body ache, loss of appetite, dehydration, and clamminess can be a sign of a fever.
• Anyone with symptoms needs to stay isolated for a full 72 hours after symptoms resolve before leaving home.
• If you need to call 911 or police for any reason, tell them if you are symptomatic and put on a mask if possible before they arrive.

Many people are not following the social distancing measures:

• It is essential to the health, safety, and welfare of our community during the ongoing state of emergency that, to the maximum extent possible, people stay at home. Set an example for those around you by following guidelines and setting boundaries.
• Remember you can control your own actions, not other people’s. Do the best that you can with what you have. Make a Family COVID-19 Plan and follow it. Talk to the people in your household about how their positive, patient behavior can save lives.

List of “Must-Close” businesses included in Executive Order 20-12:

• Dine-in restaurants and bars
• Nightclubs and concerts
• Shopping at outdoor or indoor malls and retail complexes
• Gyms, sports and fitness centers, health clubs, exercise studios, dance/yoga studios
• Hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, day spas and massage services, non-medical wellness spas, cosmetic stores, tattoo parlors
• Theaters, amusement parks, arcades, bowling alleys, music concerts, sporting events, museums, skating rinks
• State parks, playgrounds, campgrounds, pools, skate parks, festivals

Other retail businesses not on the list may continue operating, but only if they can maintain social distancing protocols. Additional OHA Guidance for Employers is available.

Who to Contact with Concerns and Complaints:

• Food related:
  • Oregon Department of Agriculture fsd-clerical@oda.state.or.us
  • Malheur County Environmental Health 541-473-5186
• Workplace Compliance
  • OSHA Enforcement 800-922-2689 or enforce.web@oregon.gov
  • OSHA Contact Directory https://osha.oregon.gov/Pages/contactus.aspx
  • File a complaint at https://osha.oregon.gov/workers/Pages/index.aspx
• COVID-19 Guidelines for Symptomatic People and Positive Cases
  • Malheur County Health Department 541-889-7279
• If you feel unsafe, call the police.
  • In an emergency, call 9-1-1. For non-emergency dispatch, call 541-473-5125
• To reporting price gouging, call the Oregon Department of Justice hotline at 503-378-8442.