Governor Kate Brown introduced her framework for Reopening Oregon Tuesday afternoon as a plan to restart public life and business while maintaining healthy Oregon communities. The framework sets specific prerequisites based on science, which Oregon communities must meet to begin reopening, and also outlines the actions Oregon must take to move forward.
“We all want to get back to work and return to normal life as quickly as possible,” said Governor Brown. “But the truth is: the best path forward is a cautious one — a path that proceeds gradually, carefully, and incrementally. A path that relies on science and facts to determine each step forward.”
In order to begin reopening communities, Oregon must first slow the growth of COVID-19, as well as acquire adequate personal protective equipment to protect health care workers and first responders. Once those prerequisites are met, Oregon can begin to reopen by:
- Ramping up COVID-19 testing capacity in every region of Oregon
- Developing robust contact tracing systems to track and contain COVID-19 cases
- Establishing a quarantine and isolation program for new cases
“While we have to be careful, we also cannot stand still,” said Governor Brown. “The shuttering of an economy at this scale has never happened before. Likewise, the reopening of a shuttered economy of this scale has never happened before.
“As we prepare in the months ahead to get Oregon back to work, we must remember the importance of doing so in a smart and deliberate fashion that keeps us moving forward instead of sending us backward.”
