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COVID-19 Pandemic Update: Wallowa-Whitman offices available by appointment only; visitors must self-screen
Release Date: Mar 16, 2020
Contact(s): Travis Mason-Bushman
BAKER CITY, LA GRANDE and JOSEPH, Ore. (March 16, 2020)—As part of a coordinated nationwide effort to reduce the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Wallowa-Whitman National Forest offices in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho are now open by appointment only. In accordance with guidance from the Department of Agriculture to limit in-person interactions, requests for visits to National Forest offices will be limited to necessary and time-sensitive business which cannot be handled over the phone or on the Internet.
Members of the public are asked to please call their local office first so that Forest staff can provide assistance on the phone and online. If the work must be handled in-person, we are asking potential office visitors to self-assess using the following guidelines:
- Have you, someone living in your household, someone with you, someone you have been in close or frequent contact with, or someone you are caring for been diagnosed with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) or had any contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19?
- In the last 14 days, have you, someone living in your household, or someone with you have been in close or frequent contact with, or someone you are caring for returned from, or made a travel connection through a CDC Level 2 or Level 3 country or State Department Level 3 or Level 4 country, for example, China, Korea, Japan, the European Union, Iran?
- Do you currently have, or have you had within the last 24 hours, any cold or flu symptoms, including a fever greater than 100.4, shortness of breath, body aches and coughing?
If the answer to all of these questions is “no,” please call the appropriate number for assistance in requesting an appointment. Approval will be based on the necessity of the visit. Measures will be taken in scheduling office appointments to enhance social distancing and minimize the number of visitors in our office at one time.
- Baker City, OR: (541) 523-6391 (8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. M-F)
- La Grande, OR: (541) 962-8500 (8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. M-F)
- Joseph, OR: (541) 426-5546 (8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. M-F)
- Clarkston, WA: (509) 758-0616 (7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. M-F)
- Riggins, ID: (208) 628-3916 (8 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F)
If any of the answers to the questions is “yes,” we ask that you still please call the numbers above so we may assist you through other means besides face-to-face.
Office hours, screening procedures, and public appointments are subject to change due to the rapidly-changing nature of the COVID-19 outbreak. We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as we work together to protect public health and minimize the spread of COVID-19, and we look forward to resuming normal services to the public as soon as possible.
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