Oregon to resume indoor, full-contact sports amid coronavirus surge

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) is set to ease coronavirus restrictions and allow for indoor and full-contact sports to resume this week despite an increase in coronavirus cases in the state.

The governor’s office said on Tuesday that the move comes in an effort to acknowledge “the importance of athletics for the physical and mental health of Oregon’s youth athletes,” according to The Oregonian.

Oregon has seen a fourth surge in coronavirus cases and the number of patients hospitalized due to the virus has also continued to rise, the outlet noted. New cases in the state have surged by 150 percent and increased by 55 percent within the past two weeks.

The national average of coronavirus cases increased by only 4 percent in that same time frame, The Oregonian noted.

Low-contact indoor sports were previously allowed in the state, but eased restrictions will now allow for sports such as basketball, cheerleading and wrestling to be resumed.

The new regulations will go into effect Friday.

Last month, Brown also issued an executive order calling for Oregon schools to reopen for in-person learning.

“[T]hanks to the hard work and smart choices of Oregonians to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, I am so pleased to see over 174,000 students back in the learning environment that serves them best: in-person instruction,” Brown said at the time.