Governor extends COVID-19 state of emergency
Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, October 27, 2020
- Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, made official what lawmakers have been planning on for months, calling a special session and requesting that lawmakers work “expeditiously” to pass new legislative and congressional districts.
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday, Oct. 27, extended her state of emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic for another 60 days.
The declaration, now in effect until Jan. 2, 2021, is the legal foundation for Brown’s COVID-19 executive orders to reopen the state and the Oregon Health Authority’s health and safety guidance. Extending the state of emergency declaration allows those orders to remain in effect.
Brown noted in a press release how the state experienced a daily record last week of 550 new coronavirus cases. With nine new deaths reported Oct. 27, the state’s death toll rose to 664 people.
“Extending the COVID-19 state of emergency is not something I do lightly, but we know all too well that not taking action would mean an even greater loss of life,” Brown said. “The second wave of COVID-19 has arrived in the United States, and this time it is hitting all of our communities.”
Brown said her goal is to keep the state on track to open more schools for in-person learning, and to continue to reopen and keep open businesses and local economies.
“We must continue to work together and follow the simple steps that have kept us safe throughout this pandemic — washing our hands, wearing face coverings, watching our physical distance, staying home when sick, and avoiding social get-togethers, especially indoors,” Brown said.
Brown reviews and reevaluates each of her emergency orders every 60 days, to determine whether those orders should be continued, modified, or rescinded, her office said.
