Most Oregon counties will be able to reopen

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) announced Thursday that the majority of the Oregon counties would open on Friday, as the state rolls out the first phase of its reopening plan amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The governor in a press conference said that 33 counties had applied to reopen on Friday and 28 met the benchmarks set by the state to begin reopening.

“I was incredibly impressed by the work that many counties put into their reopening applications. After thorough review, I’ve approved 28 counties to move into Phase 1 tomorrow,” Brown tweeted, adding in a following tweet that three additional counties that had their applications pending had also been approved, bringing the total number of counties reopening to 31.

I was incredibly impressed by the work that many counties put into their reopening applications. After thorough review, I’ve approved 28 counties to move into Phase 1 tomorrow.

Learn more here: https://t.co/Xgqb3oMI5A pic.twitter.com/OmKclioyis

— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) May 14, 2020

In total, Oregon has 36 counties. The three counties that encapsulate the Portland metro area did not apply to reopen Friday, Brown said.

“We are asking folks in metro area to be thoughtful of their fellow Oregonians, and to stay home and limit their travel to essential needs,” she said. “We obviously don’t want to overwhelm the rest of Oregon by traveling outside the metro area.”

Under the state’s first reopening phase, restaurants, bars and breweries, wineries and tasting rooms may all reopen for dine-in service. Malls, shopping centers, salons and barbers can also resume operations. All of the businesses reopening must follow strict safety guidelines issued by the Brown.

“Reopening is a team sport. It’s not going to work if some people follow the rules and other people don’t,” Pat Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, explained. “We need to take this slowly. We need to take it one step at a time. And we need everyone on the team to do their part.”