Tillamook County Lodgings, Seaside Beaches: N. Oregon Coast Slow Opening

Published 05/14/2020 at 3:44 AM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Tillamook, Oregon) – Two major steps forward for the Oregon coast: beaches are opening in Seaside to all Oregonians (but not lodgings), and lodgings – but not all beaches – are opening soon in Tillamook County. (UPATES: SEE Lincoln County Opens Lodging Soon; Many S. Oregon Coast State Parks )

The official word from Tillamook County is that indeed its lodgings will be opening on May 29. Tillamook County Board of Commissioners voted May 13 on numerous parts of phase one steps for the region , adopting measures according to Gov. Kate Brown’s guidelines, but also adding some cautious baby steps for lodgings.

For towns such as Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Tillamook, Nehalem, Garibaldi, Pacific City, Oceanside, Neskowin and Bay City (among others), the Phase One reopenings include (with restrictions): restaurants, retail and other kinds of businesses, along with gatherings no larger than 25 people. On top of that, commissioners adopted a proposal by a coalition of local lodgings that will allow hotels, campgrounds, and vacation rentals to operate under various restrictions.

In short, as Tillamook Coast director Nan Devlin put it: “We’re really thrilled. We’re getting there: people can come on down and stay starting May 29. So yay.”

Tillamook opened their lodgings on May 6 already. Devlin said the county calls the shots for lodgings in unincorporated towns such as Pacific City, Neskowin, Oceanside, Netarts, Tierra Del Mar and a few others. Rockaway Beach, Tillamook and Manzanita are in charge of their own overnight businesses.

Devlin said the county adopted this May 29 opening and its restrictions for all of those little villages, while Manzanita and Rockaway Beach have signed on as well. She is waiting to hear back from Nehalem and Wheeler, although some lodgings there have already touted their reopenings.

Meanwhile, state park beach accesses are not yet open, and larger beach access points such as Manzanita may not be completely accessible at this time. Some smaller access points within some towns are likely open, but Devlin said this is still a gray area. County parks are for now to reimain closed. However, May 29 is still a ways away, and there are numerous conversations being held with Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department as well as other entities.

Most boat launches in Tillamook County are opening this weekend, although only Monday through Friday, and they close at 6 p.m. These, according to a statement by the Tillamook County Parks Department include: Nehalem Bay, 3 Rivers, Memaloose Point, Steiner, Netarts Bay and Pacific City county-run boat launches.

Devlin said this reopening came precariously close to not happening, with the county envisioning a much longer shutdown. It was Sarah Absher, the director of Tillamook County Department of Community Development, who pulled the strings and pulled everything together.

“She took it upon herself to get the lodging folks together, the health department together, and created a very doable set of guidelines for lodgings and rentals to open,” Devlin said.

There are some strict guidelines, however, that must be followed by guests as well as lodging proprietors. Some of that is not being able to run at full capacity.

Hotels in Manzanita, Wheeler - Where to eat - Manzanita, Wheeler Maps and Virtual Tours

“It’s in two phases,” Devlin said. “First is to have everything sanitized when a guest leaves the room, then leave the room empty for 24 hours before they can rent again. The second phase is full occupancy.”

It also includes stipulations that guests must wear masks while in town; some lodgings in this north Oregon coast area have already incorporated that into the contracts with guests. There is also a contact list in case of exposure, and guests will be asked about the health of all parties two days prior to coming in.

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You can read the text of the lodging restrictions below at the end of the article

On the flipside of this opening phase is Seaside, which had closed off all beaches to locals and visitors alike back in March. The town decided to open its beaches and trails to visitors as of May 18. A proposal to also open lodgings sometime soon was defeated this week, but the city council will re-examine that issue on May 20.

On the southern Oregon coast, Gold Beach has opened lodgings in some small capacities – but is not allowing full surges of visitors in just yet. In North Bend, the Mill Casino announced late Wednesday it will be open starting May 18.

Late on Wednesday night, some news outlets have reported Curry County will begin opening under Phase One guidelines soon.

There are no decisions from Lane County, Coos County, Lincoln County or other towns in Clatsop County as yet. Hotels in Pacific City - Where to eat - Pacific City Maps and Virtual Tours

NEW RULES FOR LODGINGS IN TILLAMOOK COUNTY

- Adequate supplies of PPE including but not limited to face masks/shields and gloves shall be kept on-hand for housekeeping staff and adjunct services in all operating facilities.
- All efforts to require guests follow social distancing measures shall be taken by management.
Management shall maintain adequate supplies of gloves and face masks/shields in all operating facilities and lodging units for guest use during their stay.
- Posting of CDC/OHA guidance on personal safety protocols, including the use of masks, social distancing and handwashing. Guidance shall be posted in a highly visible location within all operating facilities and lodging units.
- Owners/Operators/Managers of all operating lodging facilities shall take the following actions:
▪ Additional training of housekeeping staff and direct supervision of cleaning activities to
ensure OHA and CDC guidelines for best cleaning practices are implemented for the duration of time necessary where threat of COVID-19 remains present within Tillamook County.
▪ Guidance dealing with a suspected COVID-19 infection.
▪ Maintenance of guest log and their contact information for each unit in the event this
information is needed for contact tracing due to a COVID-19 outbreak. This log shall be
maintained for the duration of time necessary where threat of COVID-19 remains present
within Tillamook County.
▪ Prior to guest arrival and 48 hours in advance, an email shall be sent to each party with the following language:
• Confirmation that no person in their party has recently experienced any flu or cold
symptoms or had a fever within in the last 10 days.
• Confirm that no one in their party has been exposed to or interacted with a person
who has tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 14 days.
• Guests will follow social distancing measures for the duration of their stay.
• Guests acknowledge Tillamook County resident concerns related to increased risk of
exposure of COVID-19 in Tillamook County rural communities as we move into
summer vacation season and that all guests will make every effort to be good citizens
and respectful neighbors during their stay. This includes adhering to the hours of
quiet time, parking requirements and contact person response times as outlined in
Tillamook County Ordinance #84.
- Hotel/Motel/Bed & Breakfast Enterprises/Short Term Rentals and other transient lodging units with rental turnover potential to multiple guests:
▪ A minimum 24-hour turnaround time

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