August 14, 2020 9:20 a.m.

Governor Kate Brown has announced that Malheur County will move from Phase 2 back to Phase 1 status on Monday.

A release said the county, located in northeastern Oregon, was placed on the County Watch List on July 3rd. COVID-19 has spread rapidly since then inside the county, even with additional support from state public health officials.

Brown said, “Over the past month, COVID-19 cases in Malheur County have risen so much that restrictions must be put back in place or we risk further illnesses and death in the region”. Brown said she knows the change is difficult, but “…immediate action is necessary in order to reduce the spread of the disease, and protect all those who call Malheur County home”.

A release had data on COVID-19 in that county:

*Malheur County has a case rate of 266 cases per 10,000 people which is the third highest in the state.

*Over the past two weeks, the county has had a test positivity rate of 26 percent, which is far above the state average of approximately 5.8 percent for the last two weeks.

*The county has reported an average of 15 cases per day over the last two weeks.

*Over the past week, 55 percent of the new cases were sporadic cases that could not be traced back to a known source.

*One larger long-term care facility outbreak of 23 cases and a few small workplace outbreaks have been reported.

*The Oregon Health Authority has provided assistance with messaging and masking requirements, and is also providing ongoing case investigation support for weekend coverage.

The county will remain in Phase 1 for at least 21 days. Complete Phase 1 guidance is available here: https://govstatus.egov.com/or-covid-19#phase1Guidance