After reviewing records showing how severely the pandemic has affected dozens of Baker County businesses, Bruce Nichols understands that nearly $700,000 in federal aid is no panacea.
âItâs a Band-Aid,â said Nichols, a Baker County commissioner who served as chairman of a committee that recently approved a total of $698,547 in grants to 67 businesses and nonprofit organizations. Many recipients are restaurants or other businesses in the hospitality industry, which have had severe restrictions imposed by the state during the pandemic.
The bandage reference isnât the only metaphor Nichols employs thatâs reminiscent of discussions in a triage unit.
âI hope this is a tourniquet for some of these businesses,â Nichols said on Tuesday, Dec. 29. âItâs really sad, the amount of losses that were involved in some of these businesses.â
He just wants to run his restaurant and keep paying his employees through the holidays.
McGuire, who with his wife, Sandy, owns the Oregon Trail restaurant in Baker City, has recently allowed limited indoor dining despite the stateâs ban on that service in counties, including Baker, that are in the extreme risk category for the spread of COVID-19.
Baker County has been in that category since Dec. 3 and will remain at that level through at least Dec. 31.
McGuire said on Wednesday morning, Dec. 23, that he feels he has âbeen backed into a cornerâ by the restaurant restrictions.
He said the prospect of laying off employees before Christmas was âexcruciating,â especially considering he had to temporarily lay off most of his employees in March after Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order banning indoor dining at restaurants.