Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared new statewide mandates via her press briefing conference, including a directive stating that children as young as 5 years would hereby be required to wear a face mask both in and outdoors. Indoor gatherings were also limited to 100, statewide.

The Governor, who recently brought up concerns of dictatorship federally, is rolling out statewide mandates in a way that critics would say is being quite dictatorial herself. She has also announced that bars and restaurants must close their doors by 10pm. Observers have noted that shortened business hours by grocers, food service and other businesses has only made social distancing more difficult in some demographics.

She defended her tighter restrictions, saying “I don't make these decisions lightly and there are no easy choices.”

To recap:

• All children 5 and older indoor public spaces and outdoors where distancing cannot be maintained are required to wear masks.
• Gathering size for indoor venues such as restaurants and bars is reduced from 250 to 100. Outdoor venues are still limited to 250.
• Restaurant and bars must close at 10:00 pm.
• Allowing outdoor visits to residents of long-term care facilities where there is no outbreak. The Governor highlighted this as a positive thing.

As an aside, the Governor promised “Clear metrics for school re-opening in the next few days.” She emphasized, "School in the Fall will not look like a normal year."

She ended her prepared remarks with the threat, “If we don’t stop the spread of the virus I will have no choice but to force widespread and difficult closures again.”


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-07-22 12:00:31

Last Update: 2020-07-22 12:08:22