PENDLETON — Christmas lights adorn the walls of the Prodigal Son Brewery and Pub in downtown Pendleton, where more than a dozen customers chat over their final meal at the restaurant for two weeks. The day was brisk and gray, as gusts of wind blew piles of dead leaves across the road outside.

The lights and decor were meant to be a warm welcome for the holiday season — a way to think about something other than the coronavirus pandemic. But on Tuesday, Nov. 17, anxiety among businesses in the downtown area had reached new heights, as they prepared to close for the two-week “freeze” announced by Gov. Kate Brown on Nov. 13 as an attempt to slow what is the largest case spike Oregon has seen during the pandemic.

“We had 40 people, and we had 16 after the first shutdown,” said Jennifer Guenther, motioning to her employees with tears welling in her eyes.

Guenther, who owns Prodigal Son along with her husband, Tim, is wondering the same thing other business owners are around the state.

“Are they going to be able to hold on for however long this is going to be?” she asked.

The freeze mandated by Brown comes as a last-ditch effort to slow the rapid infection rates across Oregon. The state is averaging more than 900 cases per day in the past week, according to state health officials. Average hospitalizations are also at an all-time high.

Umatilla County has averaged 36 cases per day in the past week. Three people have died in the county during the same time frame.

As Prodigal Son closes its doors, the Guenthers said they will have to downsize even further, to perhaps five employees who will work an occasional short shift to collect unemployment. They will also have to start dumping beer and moving product elsewhere to keep it from going bad, Tim Guenther said. They will not be doing takeout.

“I understand they have to take care of themselves,” Jennifer Guenther said, referring to her employees. “There’s nothing I can do and that’s the most difficult part of this entire thing. Because they’re our family.”

The Guenthers aren’t the only business owners in Pendleton feeling a grave uncertainty heading into the state-mandated freeze, which began Wednesday, Nov. 18. Several other owners on Main Street expressed similar concerns.

“The problem is there’s no end in sight,” Joe Meda, the owner of Joe’s Fiesta Mexican Restaurant, said. “It’s either I give up, or I hold strong and say there’s light at the end of the tunnel. But to get that craving that, ‘OK, we can do this,’ I need to know where we’re heading.”

Small businesses have been hit hard throughout the pandemic. In response, and amid mounting pressure from organizations like the Independent Restaurant Alliance of Oregon and the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, Brown announced Nov. 17 that the state would commit $55 million to support failing businesses statewide.

“It’s a start,” said Katy Connors, chair of the Independent Restaurant Alliance of Oregon, “but it will not go a long way with all the debt that’s already been created by the crisis and the shutdowns that are occurring.”

Counties will receive a base of $500,000 dollars in the coming weeks and additional funds based on population. It will then fall on the county to decide how businesses can apply for and receive financial support.

“I’m pleased to hear what the governor did,” Oregon Sen. Bill Hansell said. “But it’s temporary. I think businesses, while they appreciate it, would much rather be able to do what they do best, and that’s serve the public.”

Hansell said the crux of the issue falls between maintaining individual freedom as well as the health and safety of the public. He believes simple practices like mask wearing, social distancing and limiting the size of social gatherings are the best way to go, but stresses that individuals and businesses should have the option to act under their own discretion.

“If living with it means choosing to completely isolate yourself and have no interactions and don’t travel, that’s your choice,” Hansell said. “If your choice is to be more social, be a little more interactive, that’s also your choice.”

The state’s lockdown measures, which shutter gyms, limit social gatherings to no more than six people and cap grocery and retail stores at 75% capacity, are among the most stringent in the nation. The freeze also limits religious gatherings to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors.

The governor has warned that violating the new rules will be a misdemeanor, which could result in a fine of up to $1,250 or even 30 days in jail. The rules are the same as what was mandated in March.

For Jennifer Fox, a longtime customer at Prodigal Son, the pandemic has felt like a never-ending circle, where small businesses have borne a disproportionate amount of the burden. She came to the brewery with her friends on its final day to support the restaurant and workers she loves. And though she understands the need for such restrictions, she wishes there were more specific plans to help small businesses struggling heading into the holiday season.

“It’s about being smart, but not getting complacent,” Fox said. “A lot of places are struggling, paycheck to paycheck. No one wants this to be our new normal.”