Oregon will tighten restrictions on business and public activities in 10 additional counties starting Friday as the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of slowing down.
More than half of Oregon counties are now considered high risk for COVID-19 transmission, Governor Kate Brown announced Tuesday. That means that restaurants, bars, gyms and shops in those provinces must limit the number of people allowed inside. People in those counties are also instructed to limit private social gatherings to eight people or less.
“As we face more contagious variants and a wider spread of COVID-19 in our communities, the best way to protect yourself and others is vaccination,” Brown said in a press release. “Until you, your family, your friends and your neighbors are fully vaccinated, it is also critical that we all continue to wear masks, maintain physical distance and stay at home when we are sick.”
Baker, Clatsop, Columbia, Crook, Jefferson, Lane, Polk, Wasco, Washington and Yamhill counties are all now in the high risk bucket of the state – many of them jumping from “lower risk” over the past two weeks.
Staff working at the drive-thru massive COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Portland International Airport on April 9, 2021 will keep an eye on people during their post-vaccination wait. The clinic is a joint operation of Oregon Health & Science University, the Port of Portland, and the American Red Cross.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Grant County, where the virus has risen as many residents refuse vaccines, and Umatilla County both qualified as high risk, but the state chose to put them on a warning round for the next two weeks.
Several counties, including Clackamas and Deschutes, qualify for the state’s “ extreme risk ” category. However, the state has chosen not to use that highest risk designation as sufficient hospital space remains available statewide.
Only two counties in Oregon – Union and Curry – lowered their risk levels. Check out the full list here.
Just over a month ago, risk levels, as well as virus transmission, declined, even in the most densely populated counties of the state. Businesses gradually reopened and vaccinations spread, leading many, including Brown, to speak of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.
However, Brown and public health officials have also warned for weeks that if the number of cases increases, the restrictions would be reintroduced.
Oregon is now seeing more COVID-19 cases than in months. As of Tuesday, the state reported nearly 700 confirmed and suspected coronavirus infections per day.
Thousands more Oregonians are vaccinated every day. More than a quarter of Oregon adults ages 16 and older have been fully vaccinated, and nearly 40% have received at least one dose.
The new restrictions take effect Friday. The governor will announce new risk levels on Tuesday, May 4.