(Update: Newsletter on adding restaurant and accommodation association)
Business occupation limits will increase, internal long-term care visits allowed
SALEM, Ore (KTVZ) – Governor Kate Brown announced on Tuesday that 12 counties, including Deschutes, have improved their risk level, with 10 leaving Extreme Risk for the first time since November, starting on Friday, with restrictions loosening and indoor dining again allowed.
County levels of risk under the state’s public health framework are aimed at reducing transmission and protecting Oregon’s inhabitants from COVID-19. The structure uses four different risk levels for counties based on the COVID-19 spread – extreme risk, high risk, moderate risk and lower risk – and assigns health and safety measures to each level.
From February 12 to 25, there will be 14 counties at the extreme risk level, 11 at high risk, two at moderate risk and nine at lower risk. A complete list of counties and their associated risk levels is available here (a later correction has been made for Harney County, keeping them at the lowest risk level).
Counties improving from extreme to high risk include Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Hood River, Klamath, Linn, Multnomah and Washington.
Two counties change to Moderate Risk: Lago (moved from Lower) and Morrow (moved from Extreme). Two counties improve for Low risk, Baker (high) and Grant (moderate).
As shown by the Oregon Health Authority’s Industry Risk Level Guidance Chart, the big changes from extreme risk to high risk are up to eight people (out of six) allowed at social and home gatherings outdoors, allowing for meals indoors (with takeaway food still highly recommended) and greater outdoor seating capacity.
Indoor recreation, fitness and entertainment establishments will be allowed with a maximum of 25% of capacity or 50 people in total, whichever is less (and a closing time at 11pm for entertainment companies). Recreation, fitness and outdoor entertainment establishments go from a maximum of 50 people to up to 75 people.
In the workplace, at high risk, OHA still recommends – but will no longer require – remote work, if possible, and offices no longer need to be closed to the public, if possible. Long-term institutions, which were limited to external visitation only, may have internal visitation again.
“Thanks to Oregon residents who made the effort and made smart choices, we’ve made incredible progress to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives in Oregon,” said Brown, “this week, we’ll see 10 counties coming out of Extreme Risk, including the Portland counties area for the first time since November. This is good news, as we will begin to see more companies opening up and Oregon residents being able to get out a little more.
“It is also extremely important that we remain vigilant and protect our neighbors and loved ones as we face new virulent strains of COVID-19. That means continuing to wear masks, keeping physical distance and avoiding internal meetings. If we want to keep businesses open, reopen schools to face-to-face classes and stay safe, we must keep our guard up. Until vaccines are more widely available, the case count may increase again if we don’t follow safety measures. “
The Oregon Health Authority will review and publish county data on a weekly basis. The county’s risk levels will be reassigned every two weeks. The first week’s data will provide a “warning week” to prepare counties for possible changes in the level of risk. The next assignment of risk levels will be announced on February 23 and will take effect on February 26.
Updates to Warning Week data and county risk levels will be posted at coronavirus.oregon.gov.
Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association press release:
| Indoor dining in most of Oregon A total of 22 of Oregon’s 36 counties open for indoor dining on Friday Wilsonville, OR – Hundreds of Oregon restaurants will open their doors for indoor dining starting Friday, February 12, as the case count per 100,000 residents falls below the coveted 200 case mark over the previous two weeks. in specific counties. As industry suppliers and restaurant owners struggle to safely open for indoor dining, two prevalent issues remain – the continuity of restaurant operations and the return of employees to the schedule. “Today’s announcement represents a significant step in the right direction,” said Jason Brandt, president and CEO of the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “It is our job to ensure that the Oregon Governor’s Office and Legislators understand what we think will happen next because of today’s news. At the top of the list are the challenges facing small businesses trying to manage two weeks of operational security at a time, which includes finding workers who are trying to pay their monthly bills. And we must recognize the 14 counties with restaurant operations that are still trying to survive the winter without indoor meals. “ Opening and closing restaurant operations continues to be cited as the number one challenge facing the industry, with the biggest problems revolving around worker schedules and forecasting food supply needs over a limited period of time, once the announcements about the changes are made. “It is our job to be there for our workers and we will do our best to explain the uncertainty surrounding future working hours,” said Dan Lenzen, Co-owner of Dixie Tavern in Portland. “I hope that our ability to open indoors represents a turning point, allowing us to open more than two weeks. To stay in business, we need the ability to safely use part of the space inside our restaurant consistently and provide the jobs that come with it. “ February 12 appears to mark a milestone in the fight to mitigate the spread of the virus, as most Oregon residents will now have meals at home as an option in their community for the first time in months. Still, restaurant operators in 14 counties continue to rely on Payroll Protection Program funds, limited external operations, if available, and take-out / delivery food to survive. Approximately 38% of Oregon’s inhabitants still live in a county where there are no indoor meals today. “We continue to face incredible headwinds in the restaurant industry with the ban on indoor dining in Marion County,” said Conrad Venti, co-owner of Venti’s Taphouse and Bar Basement. “Every change we manage as a company has impacted our employees in the same way. We have permanently lost a number of long-standing employees, including management, who have chosen to move to other sectors because of the complete instability and ongoing changes we had to face in the past year. “ “With the recent numbers going in the right direction, I was hoping to invite our guests and the community back to dinner with us and bring employees back to work,” said Kevin Boyles, co-owner of Sassy Onion Restaurant in Salem. “Being in the extreme risk category while most of the state reopens is even more frustrating to know that my longtime clients can take a short trip and enjoy a gastronomic experience elsewhere, while my business continues to suffer.” SLRO is building a grassroots effort by industry professionals this week to continue encouraging the reach of Oregon lawmakers and Governor Brown’s professional team, given the clear divide that is experienced in a state with just over half of its restaurants open while the others try to hold on. “We know firsthand how difficult it is for the Oregon restaurant industry to grow its business two weeks at a time,” said Brandt. “Our goal in facilitating ongoing communication is to provide our elected leaders and their professional staff with the personal stories behind these challenges, in the hope of providing more leads and a slip-through path to working hours that Oregon residents can trust. The easiest way to accommodate this would be to switch to a Low, Moderate and High COVID-19 risk-based system in each county and eliminate the Extreme Risk category altogether. Having three levels of risk instead of four would provide an additional level of flexibility needed as restaurants continue their struggle for survival. ” For more information on the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association’s efforts, visit OregonRLA.org. ### The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association is the leading business association for the food and lodging services sector in Oregon, which before COVID-19 provided more than 180,000 salaries to Oregon workers. According to the Oregon Department of Employment’s December data, more than 50,000 Oregon residents who have previously worked in the hospitality field have no available work to return to. |