Oregon extends state of emergency by another 60 days

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced Tuesday that the state of emergency declared over COVID-19 will be extended by another 60 days.

It has been almost four months since Brown officially declared the state of emergency as Oregon’s coronavirus cases climbed to 14. At the time, the number of cases across the United States had reached just beyond 600.

Now, nearly 9,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in Oregon, and more than 200 of them have lost their lives. Across the country, there have been more than 2.5 million cases, and the death toll recently surpassed 125,000.

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“Today, I extended the COVID-19 state of emergency for 60 days,” writes Brown on Twitter. “The choices we make will determine if Oregon flattens the curve of new COVID-19 infections, or sees a devastating spike in cases that overwhelms our hospital capacity next month. What happens next is up to all of us.”

In the past few weeks, Oregon has seen a major spike in daily cases, reporting numbers in the triple digits for a number of consecutive days. To combat this climb, Brown has issued a state-wide mandatory face mask order for all indoor public spaces and has eluded to the idea of re-closing some regions if conditions don’t improve.

Today, I extended the COVID-19 state of emergency for 60 days. The choices we make will determine if Oregon flattens the curve of new COVID-19 infections, or sees a devastating spike in cases that overwhelms our hospital capacity next month. What happens next is up to all of us.

— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) June 30, 2020

“The state of emergency declaration is the legal underpinning for my executive orders to keep Oregonians healthy and safe, including ones on reopening, childcare, schools, and higher education operations,” continued Brown. “Extending the emergency declaration allows these to stay in effect.”

With the emergency funds, Oregonians will continue to have access to a rental subsidy, and businesses will remain able to claim employee protection funds.