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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This afternoon, Governor Brown made a series of significant announcements relating to reopening decisions across the state:
1. Face coverings will now be required for the following seven counties when people are in public indoor spaces: Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Hood River, Marion, Polk, and Lincoln. This will take effect next Wednesday, June 24. Public indoor spaces include grocery stores and other retail businesses.
2. Marion, Polk and Hood River counties are moving to Phase 2 starting Friday, June 19. The Governor’s announcement noted that Marion and Polk Counties are seeing a decline in hospitalizations, and Hood River has had only one new hospital admission in the past two weeks.
3. Multnomah County is moving to Phase 1 on Friday, June 19. The Governor noted that the county, which will be the last county to move into Phase 1, has not experienced an uptrend in new hospital admissions and hospitals continue to have capacity even though there has been a recent uptick in confirmed coronavirus cases.
4. Several counties will be grouped together in regional units for future reopening decisions. Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties -- which will all be in Phase 1 as of Friday -- will be treated as one regional unit in future reopening decisions. This will also apply to Marion and Polk counties, which will be in Phase 2 as of Friday. Governor Brown said this is because those areas contain highly-connected urban areas (Portland, Salem, etc.), which creates challenges in monitoring the virus based on county borders.
5. Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties will remain in Phase 1 for at least 21 days after Friday, June 19, before having the chance to apply to enter Phase 2. This means the earliest possible date the tri-county region could move into Phase 2 is Friday, July 10.
Additionally, Union County in Northeast Oregon has voluntarily moved back from Phase 2 to Phase 1 after a significant outbreak occurred there. The Oregonian has more information here about the county’s decision.
I support the Governor’s decision about face coverings. This is a key way to prevent transmission of the virus and can also go a long way to building confidence that we are doing what we can to take care of each other during a very scary time. Public health officials have been clear that the risk of transmission is higher in indoor spaces. Wearing masks when in indoor public spaces is best for our public health and our economic recovery, as it’s clear we’re going to be living with the virus for some time.
Now that the Governor has made that decision for my home county, one of the things I will be pressing for is adequate access to reusable masks. It’s not necessarily easy for everyone to get a mask, either because of financial circumstances or other reasons. I’m particularly concerned about low-income neighbors, senior citizens on fixed incomes, and people with disabilities who might need extra assistance. I look forward to working with Multnomah County to make sure everyone who needs a mask can get one.
The latest decisions by the Governor and the increased number of cases are a good reminder to continue to be aware of the signs and symptoms of coronavirus. The Oregon Health Authority released its weekly report today (found here), which notes the top symptoms are cough, headache, muscle aches, chills, and fever over 100 degrees. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you should stay home and reach out to your doctor about getting tested.
The weekly report also has information on outbreaks at long-term care facilities and workplaces, as well as information on which hospitals are treating patients with coronavirus.
Oregon Employment Department (OED) interim director David Gerstenfeld has been hosting weekly news conferences since he took over the position in late May. I appreciate the new director’s efforts to increase transparency.
The department has processed all but 2,010 of the nearly 490,000 regular unemployment claims it has received since the start of the pandemic, which The Oregonian details here. This is progress, and I appreciate the hard work of agency employees and volunteers who have stepped up to help address a serious crisis. But, I won’t be satisfied until all benefits are paid out.
As the news article highlights, I know there are still far too many individuals who have experienced difficulties with the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program that was part of the federal CARES Act.
If you are waiting to hear on PUA benefits, the agency will be hosting a webinar this Friday afternoon at 1 pm. You can register in advance at this link: https://bit.ly/OED_PUA_Webinar2
As peaceful protests have continued across Oregon for the last week, I’ve been disturbed by a number of videos and accounts showing police aggression in Portland against members of the press who were clearly identifying themselves. The Oregonian wrote about the issue here.
Today, I released the following statement calling for investigations of these incidents:
A free press that holds government accountable is a cornerstone of democratic societies. The physical intimidation of journalists by Portland police officers is a threat to the First Amendment and a free press. It's appalling and must stop.
I’m frustrated that officers have continued to escalate tense situations during large, non-violent assemblies that are protesting this kind of unnecessary use of force. The irony does not escape me.
The videos posted on social media showing use of force as members of the media clearly identify themselves should be thoroughly investigated.
- Portland Public Schools has discussed potential budget cuts for the coming year, which The Oregonian covered here again today. As we continue budget conversations with the Governor, I want you to know that I’m doing all I can to make sure our children and youth have certainty and stability in the upcoming school year.
- Good news for science lovers! The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) will partially reopen starting Saturday, June 20. The Oregonian has details here.
- The Oregon Health Authority reported 122 more confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 6,007 confirmed cases. There are 6,218 confirmed and presumptive cases combined. Sadly, there has been one more death, meaning there have been 183 confirmed deaths in Oregon from coronavirus.
To read past newsletters, you can go to this link. For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx
Please email me at Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed by the OHA. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.
Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.
Best,
Tina Kotek
State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House
email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek
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