Testing for the coronavirus at Providence Seaside Hospital earlier this year.

Seaside, like cities across the state and nation, reeled from the impacts of COVID-19 on personal and business life.

The pandemic impacted city services, from law enforcement to the visitors bureau.

Seaside responded to public health concerns and government mandates as hospital numbers increased during a summer wave, filling emergency rooms and stressing staff at local hospitals.

Spring reopening

As COVID-19 restrictions were lifted at the end of June, Seaside saw a surge in new business, including hotels and vacation rentals, with the reopening of indoor dining.

City Hall reopened with in-person meetings and masks required, with live streams on YouTube.

Seaside had put into place an emergency order in March 2020, early in the pandemic, restricting access to all public buildings, city parks and the beach.

City Council lifted the state of emergency in late June.

With a heat wave in the valley, thousands of tourists jammed local beaches and streets.

While the Fourth of July fireworks show was canceled, the Prom Centennial celebration, beach volleyball tournament and Hood to Coast brought crowds to Seaside.

Delta surge

The late-summer delta variant surge of the coronavirus brought a new mask mandate, requiring masks in all public outdoor settings where physical distancing was not possible, regardless of vaccination status. The Clatsop County COVID Vaccine Task Force reported over 100 cases in the county in one week in mid-August.

The increased demand strained the testing capacity at local hospitals, clinics and the Clatsop County Public Health Department.

Most of those seeking hospitalization were unvaccinated, according to the county’s vaccine task force.

At the height of the delta variant surge in August, the Oregon National Guard provided assistance to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria and Providence Seaside Hospital.

Churches, schools and businesses all reported cases.

Virus cases declined in mid-to-late September.

High vaccination rate

In December, Clatsop County had reached 79% of its population — more than 27,000 people — with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the county’s vaccine task force. As of Wednesday, the county has had 2,818 cases and 36 deaths since the pandemic began.

The county’s vaccination rate is among the highest in Oregon. But with omicron and other variants on the rise, the state remains on high alert.

Providence Seaside treated at least 57 COVID patients as inpatients this year, a hospital spokesman said in December.

Among employees, Providence Seaside has a vaccination compliance rate of 98.4%, meaning caregivers have either been vaccinated or received a medical or religious exemption.

The Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Board voted to require all park district employees to be fully vaccinated. The policy does not apply to patrons or visitors. No park district employees have left as a result of the vaccine policy, Skyler Archibald, the park district’s executive director, said.

In late September, Seaside School District Superintendent Susan Penrod said over 90% of the school district staff is vaccinated.

Booster shots for the virus ramped up with clinics at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds, Camp Rilea, the Bob Chisholm Community Center and other locations throughout the county.

Last week, Gov. Kate Brown extended a declaration of emergency as the omicron variant of the coronavirus emerged.

The latest order will remain in effect through June 30 — more than two years after the first one, at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.