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Governor Kate Brown on Friday announced the most extensive set of restrictions since her stay home order in March – once again shutting down some businesses and restricting social gatherings – in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of the coronavirus statewide.
It will limit all bars and restaurants to take-out only, close all gyms, ban indoor and outdoor gatherings of no more than six people from two different households, limit the capacity of grocery stores and pharmacies, and allow churches and groups confessionals to welcome crowds inside no more than 25.
The statewide “freeze” will take effect next Wednesday and will continue until December 2.
But during his press conference, Brown said some counties, including Multnomah County, would stay frozen longer. The Multnomah County freeze is expected to last for at least four weeks, she said.
“I want to be honest,” Brown said, adding it was going to be tough.
“We are trying to prevent this fierce virus from spreading even faster and wider, and to save lives.”
The sweeping restrictions come at the end of a brutal week, when Oregon set its one-day record for positive COVID-19 cases, broke new hospitalization records and seen the overall share of cases from the ‘State switch to the Portland metropolitan area for the first time since July.
The confluence of negative trends has accelerated action by Brown, who announced a week ago that some counties in Oregon would be placed on a two-week “break” for social activities starting this Wednesday. Troubled by the trajectory of the pandemic and the growing number of Oregonians in hospital, Brown is now increasing the restrictions and expanding them statewide – an implicit recognition that her original plan did not go far enough.
Brown and his fellow West Coast governments. Jay Inslee and Gavin Newsom also issued warnings Friday that people traveling to any of the three states should self-quarantine for 14 days if they are to travel.
Oregon’s recent outbreak – which saw daily cases doubling – came as the schedule fell and fatigue from COVID-19 set in for many. Health experts had long said they expected another wave of cases as people avoided or ignored health advice to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Over the past week, Multnomah County’s per capita case rate has surpassed that of any other West Coast county that is home to a major city, according to data compiled by The New York Times and reviewed by The Oregonian / OregonLive. .
At least some bars and restaurants, including several owned by Ezra Caraeff, like The Old Gold and Tough Luck, closed indoor dining ahead of time on Thursday.
Brown’s freeze appears to be somewhere between his “break” plan and his statewide stay-at-home order in effect from March through May. Brown has long warned that she will enforce broad restrictions if necessary. But she was hesitant to act too aggressively for fear of ruining the economy and sending more Oregon into record unemployment, as seen at the start of the pandemic.
The new freeze will not apply to hair salons, barber shops or homeless shelters. Outdoor sports and recreation programs, including Pac-12 college football games, are also exempt. Likewise, child care programs and K-12 schools are not included in the new freeze.
The governor’s decrees state that social gatherings, both indoors and outdoors, should be limited to six people from “no more than two households.”
Faith groups are limited to 25 participants indoors or 50 outdoors.
Grocery stores and retail stores will be capped at 75% of normal occupancy, and the state is encouraging people to use curbside pickup when possible.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus in Oregon reflects a national trend. But the rates here, while alarming, fall well below the spread of the virus in Spokane, Boise, Salt Lake City and Denver, where per capita rates in some cases are almost four times higher than in the region. Portland.
According to modeling released by the state on Friday, identified coronavirus cases could stay close to the current average of 900 per day or climb to 1,500 in the coming weeks.
State officials used new software to calculate these scenarios. However, the accompanying report lacks many key features of the previous modeling, including projections for severe cases that would require hospitalization or result in death.
This is a notable omission, given the state’s emphasis on preventing hospital overruns and the authorities’ refusal to provide a revised timeline for when this could happen.
The modeling seems to assume a reproduction rate of 1.47, meaning that each infected person spreads it, on average, to an additional 1.47 people. That’s a much higher transmission rate for Oregon than what other models have expected.
But the report also mentions a lower figure, 1.29. State officials did not immediately say whether the lower number was what the model was based on or whether it was a typo.
If Oregon’s transmission rate falls below 1, the state would still see essentially the same number of daily cases in the weeks to come. That would likely send even more people to hospitals, where active hospitalizations are already at an all time high, exceeding 300.
Mark Friesen contributed to this report.
– Andrew Theen and Brad Schmidt
– Andrew Theen; [email protected]; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen and
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