April 15, 2020 3:15 a.m.
On Tuesday Oregon Governor Kate Brown introduced a framework for Reopening Oregon.
A release said it’s a plan to restart public life and business while maintaining healthy Oregon communities. The release said the framework sets specific prerequisites based on science, which Oregon communities must meet to begin reopening, and also outlines the actions Oregonians must take to move forward.
In a press conference, Brown said “we all want to get back to work and return to normal life as quickly as possible”. She said the best path forward is a cautious one, “a path that proceeds gradually, carefully, and incrementally” and “a path that relies on science and facts to determine each step forward”.
Brown said in order to reopen communities, Oregon must first slow the growth of COVID-19, as well as acquire adequate personal protective equipment to protect health care workers and first responders. Once those prerequisites are met, Brown said Oregon can reopen by:
*Ramping up COVID-19 testing in every region of Oregon.
*Developing robust contact tracing systems to track and contain COVID-19 cases
*Establishing a quarantine and isolation program for new cases.
Brown said “while we have to be careful, we cannot stand still”. She said the shuttering of an economy at this scale has never happened before. Likewise, the reopening of a shuttered economy of this scale has never happened before either.
Brown said “as we prepare in the months ahead to get Oregon back to work, we must remember the importance of doing so in a smart and deliberate fashion that keeps us moving forward instead of sending us backward”.