PENDLETON — Umatilla County is looking to hire positions to help with the workload of COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing.

Umatilla County Public Health in May 2020 brought on temporary contact tracers, according to a memo to the county board of commissioners. Now the county is getting stable funding from the Oregon Health Authority for the next two fiscal years to hire permanent, full-time positions for this work. The county is proposing to hire contact tracers.

The county board meets Wednesday, July 21, starting at 9 a.m. to consider this and other matters, including a continuation of its coronavirus billboard program.

During the last year, the county health department posted COVID-19 messaging on four billboards within Umatilla County. The messages emphasized the importance of distancing, staying home when sick and vaccination information in English and Spanish.

The health department proposes to renew the billboard advertisements for another 12 months. Funding for these will come from the COVID-19 budget.

— East Oregonian