On Wednesday, May 20, 2020, Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority approved the Community Roadmap for a Limited Reopening of Marion County starting Friday, May 22.

The approved plan represents a collaboration with state and county health experts, local leaders, and regional public health partners. In receiving the news, Commission Chair Colm Willis shared that, "We are proud of what our communities and public health teams have accomplished to slow the spread of COVID-19. As we have all worked together to protect public health, we have also seen businesses closed and livelihoods destroyed. Our plan encourages businesses, churches, and other organizations to move forward in a limited capacity while continuing to protect the health of our community."

Phase 1 of the approved community roadmap allows reopening of several types of businesses and services, while keeping sanitation, physical distancing, face covering, and crowd size measures in place. Restaurants and bars, personal care services, and gyms are included in the list of businesses able to reopen in Phase 1 if all safety guidelines are followed. Most other retail businesses were allowed to reopen on May 15 under a separate statewide order. For the latest information on reopening guidelines and plans within Marion County, please visit https://www.co.marion.or.us/HLT/COVID-19/Pages/Reopening.aspx.

Commissioner Kevin Cameron stated, "I just want to thank the 340,000 plus people in this county who've been working hard and being very conscientious to allow us to move forward... This isn't one person or one organization. It's not only the county or just the state. It is everybody working together, being very conscientious of how we impact one another when we have this pandemic in front of us."

Eventually, phases 2 and 3 of the plan will allow for increased gathering sizes and resumption of non-essential travel, nursing home and hospital visits, and additional seating at restaurants, bars, and other venues. The county is required to remain in Phase 1 for at least 21 days, and advancement to phases 2 and 3 will be allowed when public health monitoring indicates it is safe.

Throughout reopening, anyone who feels sick should remain at home. Additionally, high-risk individuals who are over 65 years of age or suffering chronic illnesses should continue to remain home as much as possible. We encourage all individuals to continue to follow physical distancing guidelines.