Most Oregon counties could enter Phase 2’s looser rules as soon as Friday

That includes all three C.O. counties, but Phase 3 'months and months' away

SALEM, Ore. (AP/KTVZ) — Oregon’s Phase 2 coronavirus reopening plan will begin as soon as Friday for up to 31 counties and includes opening pools, zoos, museums and movie theaters, allowing recreational sports, loosening current restaurant restrictions and expanding outdoor gatherings to 100 people and indoor to 250 people, with adequate spacing.

Gov. Kate Brown held a news conference late Wednesday morning with state health leaders to discuss the next steps to ease restrictions from her stay-at-home directives that were enacted in March.

“This cautious approach is keeping many vulnerable Oregonians safe during the pandemic,” Brown said. “I know it is frustrating that reopening has to move slowly. I know our economy has taken an extraordinary blow. But let me be clear: This cautious approach is saving lives, all across the entire state of Oregon.”

Thirty-one counties are eligible to apply for Phase 2, including Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties in Central Oregon, officials said.

The five counties not eligible to enter Phase 2 as soon as Friday are Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion and Polk counties. The other 31 counties will have been in Phase 1 for three weeks as of Friday..

The governor’s office is reviewing the applications and will announce Thursday which counties can move forward to Phase 2.

Pat Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said the state currently has the fourth-lowest COVID-19 infection rate in the nation, with steadily increasing testing underway.

“I think it is safe to say our situation is stable,” Allen said. “Oregonians have been doing what they need to do to keep themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors safe.”

But Brown and the other officials made clear that even looser rules under a Phase 3 won’t happen any time soon.

“We find ourselves adapting to a new normal,” she said, and “will continue living with this threat until there’s a widely available treatment or vaccine. Unfortunately, that is going to take months and months, not weeks and days.” But she praised Oregonians for helping flatten the curve of the virus “because we look out for one another.”

She said, for example, the state is “shifting from requiring to strongly recommending remote work for offices.” And that the new “fact of life” is that workplace or public gatherings need for people to reduce the risk by wearing face coverings, frequent hand-washing, to “keep it local,” cover your cough or sneeze and “please, please, please: Stay home when you’re sick.”

At the state level, she said, face coverings are strongly recommended in the workplace, but for “employees in many businesses, they are required.” And she said the state will support local governments, especially in more populated areas of the state, if they want to pass ordinances requiring that people wear face masks in public settings.

Allen noted that there were more than 17,000 tests conducted last week, a record since the pandemic hit. And the number of positive test results last week was down to 1.7% from 2.6% in mid-May and a national positive test result of about 12%

“This difference means Oregon’s low number of cases is not a result of lack of testing – in fact, the opposite,” he said.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

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Here's the governor's full news release:

Governor Kate Brown Announces Phase 2 of Building a Safe and Strong Oregon

Updates to health and safety guidance to be posted at coronavirus.oregon.gov

   (Portland, OR) — Governor Kate Brown today announced details about Phase 2 of reopening, under her framework for building a safe and strong Oregon. There are 31 counties that can apply now to enter Phase 2 on Friday, June 5.

“I want to say thank you to each and every Oregonian who has made sacrifices to protect the health and safety of our communities,” said Governor Brown. “Your leadership––you choosing to be both kind and smart––is why we have been able to start the reopening process.”

“Any reopening comes with risk. That’s just a fact of life right now. So we need to reduce the risk that comes with reopening. So, fellow Oregonians, you have another chance to shine. A chance to show that you are looking out for your friends, family, and neighbors.”

The Oregon Health Authority is reviewing the COVID-19 metrics and data for counties that have applied for Phase 2, and on Thursday, June 4 the Governor’s Office will announce the initial counties entering Phase 2.

Criteria for entering Phase 2

Phase 2 continues the county-by-county approach to reopening. Counties can be approved to enter Phase 2 only if they have been in Phase 1 for at least 21 days and are succeeding in controlling the spread of the virus. Counties approved to enter Phase 2 must continue to meet Phase 1 metrics, including:

• Declining disease prevalence
• Having an adequate number of contact tracers, including people reflective of the communities they serve
• Establishing adequate testing, isolation and quarantine facilities, sufficient hospital surge capacity, and sufficient personal protective equipment supply

Counties must also meet additional prerequisites, including:

• Demonstrating that they are able to trace new cases within 24 hours
• As counties see new cases, they must be able to identify where they are coming from at least 70% of the time
• Counties cannot be experiencing a significant increase in cases

New Guidance for Phase 2

Counties that enter Phase 2 will be able to continue with the reopening process, following updated health and safety guidance:

• Gathering limits will be raised to 50 people indoors, and 100 people outdoors.
• Indoor and outdoor venues, including theaters and churches, with 6 feet of physical distancing and other measures in place, can reach a COVID-19 occupancy limit of up to 250.
• Offices can begin reopening and employees can return to workplaces with physical distancing and other measures in place, though remote work is still strongly recommended whenever possible.
• Increased travel will be allowed throughout Oregon, though staying local is still recommended to prevent overloading county health systems.
• Restaurants and bars will have curfews extended to midnight.
• Pools and sports courts will be allowed to reopen under new guidance.
• Indoor and outdoor activities such as bowling, batting cages, and mini golf, will be allowed to reopen under new guidance.
• Recreational sports can resume in a limited form, under strict physical distancing guidance.

Additional Statewide Guidance

For all counties, including those remaining in Phase 1 or on baseline status:

• Zoos, gardens, and museums can reopen in a limited fashion.
• Professional and collegiate sports teams can return to training in their facilities with physical distancing and health and safety measures in place.

Updates to sector-specific guidance will be made available at coronavirus.oregon.gov. The Governor’s Office continues to work with the Oregon Health Authority to update health and safety guidance for the reopening process. Members of the public with questions about the reopening process are encouraged to visit coronavirus.oregon.gov.

The governor’s full remarks are available here.

A recording of the governor’s press conference is available here.