Coronavirus Update: New Statewide Safety Rules

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House Speaker Tina Kotek

Coronavirus Update: New Statewide Safety Rules

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you had a nice weekend and that your week is off to a good start. Regardless of all the challenging news out there, I hope you can join me in putting one foot in front of the other (and, yes, I’m thinking about that song from that holiday special). So ...

Today, Governor Brown announced new statewide requirements aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus.

Starting this Wednesday, July 15, face coverings will be required in outdoor public spaces where Oregonians can’t maintain six feet of physical distance. This is a new rule in addition to face coverings being required in all indoor public spaces.


Outdoor Face Covering Rule 7-13-2020

Also effective this Wednesday, July 15, the state has banned indoor social gatherings of more than 10 people.


Indoor Gatherings 7-13-2020

This does not change the operation guidelines currently in place for businesses and churches. However, it’s critical that we all do our part to follow all state guidelines in order to protect each other and prevent business closures in the future. For example, California closed indoor restaurants, movie theaters, and all bars statewide after weeks of dramatic spikes in cases.

Coronavirus infections have been rising here in Oregon for the last couple of weeks, as this daily data since my last newsletter highlights (July 10 – July 13):

  • Friday: 275 cases, 2 deaths
  • Saturday: 409 cases, 0 deaths
  • Sunday: 332 cases, 2 deaths
  • Monday: 280 cases, 3 deaths

As the Oregon Health Authority noted late last week, “if transmission remains at current levels, we expect continued exponential growth in infections.” The Oregonian has more details on that report here, and you can read the full report here.

Governor Brown listed the following statistics as reasons for these increased safety measures:

  • Oregon reported more cases in the past week than in the entire month of May.
  • The last time Oregon had less than 100 cases in a single day was more than a month ago.
  • Half of all cases in Oregon are from people under the age of 40, and one third of all cases are from people under the age of 30.
  • Currently, people in their 20s and 30s are the most likely group to get COVID-19.
  • Two Oregonians in their 30s have died from COVID-19.

While I hope that we don’t have to go backward in our gradual statewide reopening, it’s clear now that nothing is off the table and more restrictive measures could be coming if we don’t manage the spread again.

All this news is another stark reminder of why we must all answer the call if contact tracers reach out to see if we have contracted the virus. We remain in this together. While it can be difficult to see the eye-popping numbers across the nation, we can follow the lead of other countries that have successfully suppressed the curve and eased restrictions.

One foot in front of the other – with your face covered and six feet apart!


Contact Tracing 7-13-2020

New Employment Department Website

The Oregon Employment Department (OED) has launched a new website: http://unemployment.oregon.gov./

Over the next few days and weeks, the department will add more content and features to the informational website, including:

  • A “Contact Us” form to assist Oregonians who have been waiting the longest to have their claims resolved.
  • Information about new federal CARES Act benefit programs.
  • An “Eligibility Quiz” to help people figure out which program to apply for.
  • Step-by-step videos and guides for how to apply for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits.
  • Resources for employers about the Work Share program, reopening business, and more.
  • Other resources available to Oregonians while they wait for unemployment benefits, such as benefits to help with rent, utilities, health coverage, or groceries.
  • A robust section of Frequently Asked Questions, which will be updated weekly as new questions arise.

Legislative Emergency Board Meets Tomorrow

The legislative Emergency Board will convene a virtual meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m. to vote on additional distributions of federal Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars. This will be the fifth time the board has met since the start of the pandemic to get critical funding to Oregonians for essential needs like rent and utility assistance, child care funding, and small business support.

Among the items we intend to take up is the allocation of $35 million to fund $500 emergency relief checks to Oregonians still waiting on unemployment benefits, which Senate President Peter Courtney and I proposed last week.

You can read the meeting agenda here and stream the meeting here.


The Latest News

  • The Oregon Health Authority reported 280 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total of new and presumptive cases to 12,438. Sadly, three more people have died, meaning there have been 237 Oregonians to die of the coronavirus. You can click the images below for links to interactive data tables about coronavirus in Oregon.

OHA Epi Curve 7-13-2020

OHA COVID-19 Update 7-13-2020

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

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