PORTLAND, Ore. — UPDATE: Gov. Brown held a conference call on Monday morning, but said she had not yet made a decision on the curfew for bars and restaurants.
Original story below:
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Sunday outlined new measures she is discussing with state and local officials to combat the coronavirus as 39 cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the state.
During a Sunday night call with reporters, Brown said she was considering a curfew for restaurants and bars, limiting their occupancy or potentially shutting them down altogether. She said she would announce her decision Monday.
She said she had concerns about the impact a curfew or shutdown could have on the restaurant industry and its workers.
“I’m honestly looking for an Oregon way to do this,” she said.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends there be no events with 50 or more people for the next eight weeks. Brown said she expected more guidance from the CDC on restaurants and bars on Monday.
Other states are closing bars, restaurants and other gathering spaces.
On March 8, Brown announced she was declaring a state of emergency to bring additional resources to the state’s response.
On Thursday, she ordered all state’s public schools to cancel classes through March 31 in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.
A statewide ban on events of more than 250 people has been in effect since Wednesday.
--Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
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This article was originally published by The Oregonian/OregonLive, one of more than a dozen news organizations throughout the state sharing their coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak to help inform Oregonians about this evolving heath issue.
