June 18, 2020 3:20 a.m.
Governor Kate Brown has issued an update on the reopening status for some counties, with a face covering requirement coming soon in several counties.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Brown said last week she issued a statewide pause on applications from counties to move to Phase 1 or Phase 2. She said she did this due to the rising number of cases in both rural and urban communities. Brown said she wanted to give public health experts time to assess what factors are driving the spread of the virus, and to make adjustments to the reopening strategy.
Brown said after hearing from health experts, business leaders and local elected officials, she has made four decisions:
*A requirement to wear face coverings while in indoor public spaces such as grocery stores and other businesses will apply in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Hood River, Marion, Polk and Lincoln counties. That mandate will begin on June 24th.
*Marion, Polk and Hood River counties will move to Phase 2 beginning this Friday due to a decline in hospital admissions and timely follow up on cases in those counties.
*Multnomah County will move to Phase 1 on Friday. Brown said while that county has seen an increase in new cases recently, it has not experienced an uptrend in new hospital admissions.
*Brown will group several counties together as regional units for future reopening decisions. Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties will be treated as a single unit. Marion and Polk counties, which each includes parts of the City of Salem, will also be treated as one unit moving forward.
Brown said as a result of those decisions, the entire tri-county region will remain in Phase 1 for at least 21 days after June 19th before the three counties will become eligible for Phase 2. Brown said while this impacts communities and businesses, she said residents must recognize how interconnected the metro area is.
The Governor’s Office also provided a more detailed update from the Oregon Health Authority on the trends in cases of COVID-19 in Oregon. A link to it is posted with our story at www.541radio.com: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aYBj6V6dWUTMPXB7YQU0J1X8FNtcJlOq/view