UMATILLA COUNTY — With COVID-19 spreading at unprecedented rates through Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown announced a two-week “pause” on all social events for Umatilla County and other Oregon counties with the highest case rates per capita on Friday, Nov. 6.

The suspension of social events officially begins Wednesday, Nov. 11, and includes ending indoor visits to long-term care facilities and reducing the maximum capacity allowed inside restaurants and recreation facilities to 50 people. Dining indoors will also be limited to group sizes of six, and all indoor social gatherings are to be limited to single households and no more than six people.

“This is a wake-up call for Oregonians,” Brown said at a press conference. “If we don’t stop the spread of COVID-19, further closures are imminent.”

Employers are also asked to mandate all employees to work from home whenever possible. The additional restrictions don’t replace or end any that are already in place for Phase 2 of reopening.

“This series of measures is intended to curb human contact, both through reducing the sheer number of people we interact with and the frequencies of those encounters,” Brown said.

Umatilla County Public Health Director Joe Fiumara said he favors the state’s approach of tailoring the restrictions to social interactions rather than another wave of mass business closures.

“Doing things like limiting group sizes down from 10 people to six, really trying to focus on people not outside of your household, I think makes sense rather than what’s been done in the past,” Fiumara said. “That being said, half of what I heard today was recommendations.”

Brown said during the press conference that the consequences of violating these new restrictions will be the impact of COVID-19 on local communities.

The restrictions apply for counties that have exceeded a two-week case rate of more than 200 cases per 100,000 people, which is in alignment with the updated school reopening metrics.

As new records get set each week for new daily cases across the state — the Oregon Health Authority reported 805 new cases on Thursday, Nov. 5, and 770 new cases on Nov. 6 — Umatilla County has reported a steady increase in cases since the start of October.

From Oct. 18 to Oct. 31, the Oregon Health Authority reported 223 cases in Umatilla County, which amounts to a two-week case rate of 274.8 cases per 100,000 people. Since Nov. 1, another 120 cases have been reported in the county.

Along with Umatilla County, Malheur, Multnomah, Marion, and Jackson counties also exceed 200 cases per 100,000 people as of Nov. 6. The state will reevaluate the most recent case data on Nov. 9, and health officials indicated the pause may also be implemented for Union, Baker, Washington, Clackamas and Linn counties.

Brown and state health officials pointed to the recent spread of cases around the state as particularly alarming because most cases aren’t tied to large outbreaks, but are instead representative of sporadic spread through communities.

Fiumara said social gatherings have been a “growing source” of spread in the community, including some cases directly tied to Halloween parties from last weekend, though the increasing cases can also be associated with some outbreaks at long-term care facilities and prisons.

After reporting 94 cases among incarcerated people and 29 cases among staff at the prison since June 24, Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla is no longer considered as having an active outbreak, according to the Oregon Health Authority’s weekly report. The prison last reported a new case of the virus on Oct. 2, the report stated.

“This is a testament to the hard work of DOC employees and the adults in custody,” Oregon Department of Corrections Communications Manager Jennifer Black stated in an email. “We will continue to wear masks, physical distance to the best of our ability, disinfect and clean, and remain vigilant.”

Entering the weekend with a few days before the new restrictions officially take effect, Fiumara said people just need to honestly evaluate the implications of any gatherings or events they have planned in the coming weeks.

“I just encourage folks to take an honest look at what they’re doing and ask themselves, ‘Is this worth it? Is it helpful, or not?’” Fiumara said.