Deschutes County drops to Moderate Risk, Crook to Lower, Jefferson to High

(Update: Adding governor's news release; only 2 counties still at extreme risk)

Falling case counts loosen COVID-19 restrictions in many Oregon counties

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Central Oregon counties (and many elsewhere in the state) got some expected good news Tuesday morning: Thanks to falling case counts, all three are moving to lower risk levels on Friday, loosening restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.

The official word came in an email sent out by Annette Liebe of Gov. Kate Brown's office:

Good news for all counties in Central and South Central Oregon:

• Crook moving from High risk to Lower risk
• Jefferson moving from Extreme to High risk (indoor dining and other activities allowed at limited capacity)
• Deschutes moving from High risk to Moderate
• Klamath moving from High risk to Moderate
• Lake moving from Moderate to Lower risk

For indoor at-home gatherings, High Risk allows up to six people, Moderate Risk eight people and Lower Risk 10 people, with a recommended limit of 14 households. For outside gatherings, the recommended limits are eight, 10 and 12 people.

For restaurants and bars, the indoor capacity for High Risk counties is up to 25 percent maximum occupancy or 50 people, whichever is smaller. For Moderate Risk, it's 50 percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is smaller, and for Lower Risk, not to exceed 50 percent maximum occupancy, with up to 300 people outdoors.

For more details on those and other sectors:

These changes will go into effect Friday.

There is also clarification of what the “buffer”/”grace period”/”2 week extension” means moving forward, effective this week.

In order to give some relief from the toggle effect of a county moving from lower risk to a higher risk, for example, extreme to high to extreme every two weeks we are adding a 2-week grace period for all risk levels if a county has moved down and then goes right back up.

This means if in the last movement week your county moved down a risk level (any risk level) and in the next movement week data you are to move back up a risk level, the county will be granted a 2 week grace period to assist in time to stabilized case counts and business open and close.

There are two counties that this change impacts this week, Jackson and Malheur.

Here is the statewide movement week moves, based on the data:

• Baker: Lower to High
• Benton: Extreme toHigh
• Crook: Highto Lower
• Curry: Moderate to High
• Deschutes: High to Moderate
• Harney: Moderate to Lower
• Hood River: Moderate to Lower
• Jackson: High to High (qualifies for extreme risk but was moved down from extreme in the last movement period)
• Jefferson: Extreme to High
• Josephine: Extreme to High
• Klamath: High to Moderate
• Lake: Moderate to Lower
• Lane: High to Moderate
• Malheur: Moderate to Moderate (qualifies for high but was moved down from extreme in the last movement period)
• Morrow: Moderate to Lower
• Multnomah: High to Moderate
• Tillamook: Lower to Moderate
• Yamhill: High to Moderate

---

News release from Gov. Kate Brown:

Governor Kate Brown Announces Updates to County Risk Levels

 (Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown today announced updates to county risk levels under the state's public health framework to reduce transmission and protect Oregonians from COVID-19. The framework uses four different risk levels for counties based on COVID-19 spread—Extreme Risk, High Risk, Moderate Risk, and Lower Risk—and assigns health and safety measures for each level.

Effective March 12 through March 25, there will be two counties (Coos and Douglas) at the Extreme Risk level, nine at High Risk, 12 at Moderate Risk, and 13 at Lower Risk. A complete list of counties and their associated risk levels is available here. 

"We are largely seeing case rates decline across the state, with the most counties in the Lower Risk level since the framework was introduced in November," Brown said. "This should serve as a reminder that when we follow the health and safety measures we know work against this virus, we can truly make a difference in infection spread.

"But we still have more work to do before we reach the level of community-wide protection we need in order to return to a sense of normalcy," she added. "I encourage all Oregonians to keep it up and to get your vaccine when it's available to you."

Jackson and Malheur Counties enter Two-Week Caution Period

A modification has been made to the two-week caution period process announced last week, which had only addressed counties moving back to Extreme Risk. Beginning this week and continuing until further notice, counties that reduced their COVID-19 spread enough to move down in risk level in the previous two-week period, but see their numbers go back up in the next two-week period, will be given a two-week caution period to bring COVID-19 case rates back down again. 

This week, the caution period applies to two counties:

• Jackson County qualifies for Extreme Risk but is given a two-week caution period at High Risk because it moved down from Extreme Risk in the last movement period.
• Malheur County qualifies for High Risk but is given a two-week caution period at Moderate Risk because it moved down from Extreme Risk in the last movement period.

 The caution period will allow counties to re-focus efforts to drive back down creeping case numbers, and give local businesses additional certainty on their plans for operating. If, at the end of the caution period, case rate data still puts the county at a higher risk level, the county will move to that level.

The Oregon Health Authority will examine and publish county data weekly. County risk levels will be reassigned every two weeks. The first week's data will provide a "warning week" to prepare counties for potential risk level changes. The next assignment of risk levels will be announced March 23 and take effect March 26.

Updates to Warning Week data and county risk levels will be posted to coronavirus.oregon.gov.