Oregon will tighten restrictions on businesses and public activities in ten additional provinces as of Friday, as the COVID-19 pandemic’s fourth wave delays no sign.
More than half of Oregon counties are now considered high-risk for the transmission of COVID-19, government Kate Brown announced Tuesday. This means that restaurants, bars, gyms and retail stores in the provinces must limit the number of people allowed indoors. People in the provinces are also ordered to limit private social gatherings to eight people or less.
“As we encounter more infectious variants and the greater spread of COVID-19 in our communities, the best way to protect yourself and others is to be vaccinated,” Brown said in a news release. “Until you, your family, your friends and your neighbors are fully vaccinated, it is also important that we all continue to wear masks, maintain physical distance and stay home when we are sick.”
The counties of Baker, Clatsop, Columbia, Crook, Jefferson, Lane, Polk, Wasco, Washington and Yamhill are now all in the high-risk bucket of the state – many of them have jumped from ‘lower risk’ over the past two weeks.
Staff operating the COVID-19 Continuing Vaccination Clinic at Portland International Airport on April 9, 2021, monitor people during their waiting period after vaccination. The clinic is a joint operation offered by Oregon Health & Science University, the Port of Portland and the American Red Cross.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Grant County, where the virus has risen because many residents refuse vaccinations, and Umatilla County both qualified for high-risk, but the state chose to put it on a warning shot for the next two weeks.
Several provinces, including Clackamas and Deschutes, qualify for the state’s extreme risk ‘category. However, the state has chosen not to use the highest risk indication, as adequate hospital space is available across the country.
Only two counties in Oregon – Union and Curry – have downgraded their risk levels. See the full list here.
Just over a month ago, risk levels dropped, as did the transmission of viruses, even in the provinces with the largest populations. Businesses gradually reopened and vaccinations increased, leading many, including Brown, to talk about ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.
However, Brown and public health officials have also been warning for weeks that the restrictions would be reinstated if the case counts.
Oregon now sees more COVID-19 cases than in months. As of Tuesday, the state has reported nearly 700 confirmed and suspected coronavirus infections daily.
Thousands more Oregonians are vaccinated every day. More than a quarter of Oregon adults 16 years and older are fully vaccinated and nearly 40% have received at least one dose.
The new restrictions take effect Friday. The governor announced new risk levels on Tuesday, May 4th.