Brown Eyes May 15th Date For Some Areas
Governor Kate Brown today said that there is a possibility that some counties could reopen as early as May 15th separate from a statewide mandate. During a Friday morning press conference Brown said that low instances of COVID-19 in some areas could allow for certain activities to resume and it comes with a caveat regarding social distancing.
“Physical distancing will remain a part of our daily lives until we have the security of a vaccine or treatment for the disease.”
Brown still expects this to be a long drawn out process and does come with some dangers. She says the state is prepared with a ramping up of testing and Contact tracing, but that does not eliminate the risks. Dr. Dean Sidelinger with the Oregon Health Authority says that upon any reopening in the state we can expect to see more infections.
”Our projections show that the disease will increase in Oregon as we open up, that more people will be hospitalized and possibly even die.”
Sidelinger says this will mean a continuation of best practices for avoiding spreading the disease.
“We are still going to be recommending that people stay 6 feet apart in most settings.”
Brown says she understands the frustration and fear that Oregonians are feeling, but asks that people respectfully follow the social distancing guidelines in hopes that a resolution will arrive quicker rather than later.
Coastal Corral Success
Executive Director of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce, Bettina Hannigan says today’s Coastal Corral was a success. Hannigan says that while larger communities tend to have a more continual contact with legislators, today’s event brought the concerns and issues directly into the purview of state and federal lawmakers. It also gave lawmakers a chance to let the coast know what they have been doing.
“I think that they have been working really hard at listening the last couple weeks and during this whole crisis to know how to meet our needs.”
Legislators heard from different coastal chambers on important issues like the lack of PPE for rural hospitals that are not part of a larger network and the financial impact of having to go to a supply chain that is oft times rife with corruption. While they have no direct power over the state’s Governor, both senators Merkley and Wyden committed to keep the conversation open with Governor Brown and helping to solve the breakdown of cooperation between the States and the Federal Government.
