Stay Home and Stay Safe

A message from Hood River County Chair Mike Oates, Hood River Mayor Kate McBride
and Cascade Locks Mayor Tom Cramblett

With Sunday’s announcement from the Hood River County Public Health Department, confirming one community member testing positive for Covid-19, we renew our call for all citizens to Stay Home and Stay Safe. Social Distancing of a least six feet is our primary tool to flatten the curve and prevent the spread of Covid-19. ALL OF US ARE RESPONSIBLE for limiting contacts and stopping person-to-person transmission of the virus.  The sacrifices required of our local businesses have been significant and painful. We will only get through this and get everyone back to work by preventing the spread of this virus.

Visitors coming to our Gorge Communities – A Call to Action

We all love the Gorge – but this is not the time for you to visit. An influx of visitors creates an undue burden on our efforts to maintain social distancing and strains our supply channels, public safety resources and health care system. We look forward to hosting you again when things are back to normal.

Stay Home to Save Lives.

All Hood River County and City parks and campgrounds are closed, including recreational staging areas in our County Forest. Our first responders and health care workers are needed for the current public health emergency, not for search and rescue operations and recreational injuries that would compromise the one county-wide emergency department. If you are going to recreate outdoors, please do not use staging areas and trailheads in order to maintain distance and avoid clusters of people. 

COMMUNITY

We will get through this together. Our spirits have been lifted by the generous and resilient spirit of our community during the past few weeks. Businesses have stepped up to provide meals, sail makers are sewing PPEs for medical providers, non-profits are creating new ways to help our most vulnerable citizens, and countless community members are reaching out to neighbors to offer support, assistance with errands and comfort during this difficult time. Stay safe.