Citing an unprecedented surge of new COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, Gov. Kate Brown has announced new temporary restrictions for five Oregon countiesâincluding Multnomah County.
âOregon has done relatively better than many other states in containing the virus, but we cannot let up now,â Brown said at a Friday press conference. âThatâs why Iâm announcing a two-week pause on social activities in⌠Malheur, Umatilla, Marion, Jackson, and Multnomah counties.â
Brownâs two-week âpause,â which begins this Wednesday and lasts through November 25, will include new rules around business capacities and social gatherings. Restaurants, gyms, and museums will have maximum capacities of 50 people, including both staff and patrons. In-person visits to long-term care facilities will not be permitted unless they are held outdoors, and Brown urged people to limit their own social gatherings to their own households.
Restaurants must limit table groups to six or fewer people. Brown encouraged people to choose takeout or outdoor seating, rather than eating inside restaurants.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) will include these new rules in its advisoryâbut when asked what the consequences would be for businesses and individuals who donât follow them, Brown answered that âthe consequences are the community impacts, honestly.â
âIf I do need to take further steps, it will involve further restricting business activity,â she added. âAnd I donât want to do that.â
Brown said she would revisit the restrictions as the two-week period comes to a close, and use the countiesâ COVID-19 case counts to determine if further actions is needed. Five additional countiesâWashington, Baker, Union, Clackamas, and Lynnâare âon the cuspâ of needing new restrictions as well, Brown said.
The two-week âpauseâ comes as OHA has reported its worst COVID-19 numbers since it began tracking cases in March. OHA reported 3,542 new cases last weekâup 34 percent from the previous week. And Oregon hospitals have their highest number of coronavirus-linked patients since the pandemic began.
Rachel Banks, the OHAâs new Public Health Division director, compared the upcoming two-week pause to when Oregonians first sheltered in place in March, and when Oregon imposed a mandatory mask requirement in June. She said that if Oregonians continued to follow the guidelines and requirements, then the state could continue to have a relatively low case count.
âThose things worked,â Banks said. âSince the start of the pandemic, Oregon has one of the lowest case rates in the nation⌠Thatâs all through your shared efforts.â
Banks and OHA lead epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger also urged Oregonians to reconsider their holiday plans, particularly if they involve traveling or large social gatherings.
Brown called the two-week pause period âa wake-up call.â She added that most new cases were linked to small person-to-person interactions, rather than one major event or outbreak, and urged people to âplease, please, please limit your social interaction to your own householdâ for the next two weeks.
âI do not want to have to take further actions to stop the spread of COVID-19, because I know it will have a devastating impact on our businesses, both big and small,â Brown said. âBut I absolutely will if necessary.â