This update provides information on the latest City activities and links to more information. For health and safety information about COVID-19 including confirmed cases and testing data, please visit Lane County Public Health or Oregon Health Authority’s websites.
Below are updates on COVID-19 for the City of Eugene, but first and foremost we want to say thanks! Thank you for doing your part to help reduce the impact of COVID-19 in our community. We know it is not easy, but your sacrifice and commitment to wearing masks, washing your hands, and maintaining physical distance is helping people and families in Lane County stay healthy. Thank you Eugene and keep it up!
New face covering guidance issued for private offices
Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority have issued revised guidance requiring face coverings or face shields for employees in private office spaces, in addition to public office spaces. The guidance requires face coverings in public and private building hallways, bathrooms, elevators, lobbies, break rooms, and other common spaces, unless employees are at individual work spaces or in meeting rooms where 6 feet of distance from other people can be maintained.
The revised guidance also provides an exception for face coverings, allowing for the brief removal of face coverings in situations where someone’s identity needs to be confirmed for visual comparison, such as interactions in banks or with law enforcement.
Streatery Program Expands
Downtown Eugene’s recovery continues through a strong partnership between the City of Eugene and local businesses. After a difficult spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creative thinking by local entrepreneurs and City staff led to an innovative solution to help downtown thrive again. The “Streatery” program was born. The program calls for a full-block street closure which allows more room for adjacent restaurants to use the public space for outdoor dining. Fifth Avenue between Pearl and High Streets is the second street to be utilized in this way. The road is closed to traffic Friday-Sunday each week. The closure allows restaurants and other businesses in and around Fifth Street Public Market to expand outdoors while indoor space is limited because of COVID-19 social distancing requirements.
The section of East Broadway between Willamette and Olive streets was also closed to motor vehicle traffic beginning July 16 to enable expanded café seating for area bars and restaurants. The City of Eugene is working directly with the business owners on this section of Broadway, who are all supportive of this arrangement.
Physical distancing and proper hand hygiene are strongly encouraged, and face coverings are required if 6 feet of distance can’t be maintained. Learn more about how businesses can apply for a streatery permit as part of the City of Eugene’s Streatery Program.
City of Eugene Business Help Team
The City of Eugene has created a specialized Business Help Team to assist employers as they seek to keep their businesses afloat by answering questions about financing options, reopening guidelines and other topics. The team is working to be flexible to meet the needs of different businesses as rules change and needs evolve. Read more about the City of Eugene’s Business Support and other Eugene Community Recovery efforts.
Lane County Offers Virtual Office Hours to Support Local Businesses
Lane County’s Community and Economic Development team will host bi-weekly virtual office hours for Lane County businesses to learn about the latest COVID-19 business updates and resources, as well as to ask questions.
Upcoming Dates
- Thursday, August 20, 2020, 3-4 p.m.
- Thursday, September 3, 2020, 3-4 p.m.
- Thursday, September 17, 2020, 3-4 p.m.
Learn more about the virtual office hours and how to join online. No pre-registration is required.
Open Streets Rolls into Bethel Neighborhood
A new program called Open Streets will take the place of the Sunday Streets event previously scheduled for September of this year. Open Streets connects residents to their neighborhood’s amenities and to one another by providing safe spaces for physically-distanced walking, biking and rolling on city streets.
The City launched the first Open Streets in the Bethel neighborhood near the intersection of Roosevelt and Highway 99, where people can use the network of four streets to access three parks, local restaurants, free summer meals and recreation programs for kids, and two shared use paths for longer distance walking, biking, and rolling. The Open Streets network in Bethel is expected to continue through mid-September.
The City is receiving input from local community groups, businesses, and neighborhood associations about potential Open Streets in various neighborhoods throughout the city. Learn more about Open Streets and submit your ideas online.
The Latest from Mayor Vinis
Watch Mayor Vinis’ most recent video update which includes a reminder that we must still be vigilant with our masks, distancing, and responding to contact tracing calls, and providing an update on sanitation stations in the community. Learn more about the City’s response to COVID-19 on our website.
Visual Arts Week
Visual Arts Week wrapped up over the weekend, but you can still enjoy online and in-person gallery exhibits, studio tours and more on our Visual Arts Week web pages.
Visual Arts Week celebrates the visual arts and provides a platform for experimentation, creativity and dialogue. This year’s offerings included a mix of virtual and in-person experiences to engage people at all levels.
Visit downtown and online galleries to enjoy the diverse and beautiful creations of our community’s artists with The Mayor’s Art Show, Salon des Refusés and the Eugene Biennial. Take an in-depth look at artists and studio spaces in action through virtual studio tours and photos. Tour satellite art installations displayed in downtown window-fronts and revisit our city’s 20x21 murals.
Art is shared interaction, cultural exchange, and a powerful connector between people regardless of ethnicity, religion, age or socio-economic status. Celebrate the visual arts with us!
More resources
See a list of Community Resources for physical and mental health, food, housing, businesses, employees, schools and children, as well as information in Spanish. Also learn how you can help.
Our partners have a significant amount of information available online. Please visit these resources for the most up to date information:
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