SALEM — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday, Feb. 24, she will lift Oregon’s COVID-19 emergency declaration effective April 1. The move comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations and case numbers continue to drop rapidly across Oregon as the omicron variant recedes.

“Over the past six months, as Oregon weathered our worst surges of the pandemic, I’m proud of the way Oregonians have worked together to keep each other safe,” Brown said in a press release. “Lifting Oregon’s COVID-19 emergency declaration today does not mean that the pandemic is over, or that COVID-19 is no longer a significant concern. But, as we have shown through the delta and omicron surges, as we learn to live with this virus, and with so many Oregonians protected by safe and effective vaccines, we can now protect ourselves, our friends and our families without invoking the extraordinary emergency authorities that were necessary at the beginning of the pandemic.”

Brown also said the coronavirus still is present in Oregon and urged Oregonians to remain vigilant.

“We must continue to get vaccinated and boosted, wear masks when necessary and stay home when sick,” she said. “That is the only way we can achieve our shared goals of saving lives and keeping our schools, businesses, and communities open.”

Brown issued the emergency declaration in March 2020. According to the press release, most of the governor’s executive orders regarding COVID-19 were rescinded on June 30, 2021. In responding to the subsequent delta and omicron surges of COVID-19, the governor for the most part did not use her executive authority to issue new emergency orders.

She did take other steps, such as activating the Oregon National Guard to help support hospital workers, and coordinating with the Oregon Health Authority to bring skilled healthcare workers to Oregon to support hospital and long-term care facility staff.

The governor’s office in the press release stated the emergency declaration since June 30 “has provided the state with flexibility and resources for the state’s COVID-19 response and recovery efforts, including allowing for the use of SERV-OR volunteer medical providers in hospitals, providing flexibility around professional health licensing, and ensuring Oregon could access all available federal disaster relief funds available, such as enhanced SNAP benefits.”

Brown has repeatedly extended the emergency declaration, which Republican lawmakers have taken an issue with, arguing the Legislature should have more oversight when a governor uses emergency declarations.

An effort by an Eastern Oregon lawmaker to rein in the governor’s emergency powers may be effectively dead, at least for now.

Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, is trying to rein in the governor’s emergency powers, but his proposal could be dead.

He said in email update to constituents on Friday, Feb. 18, that House Joint Resolution 206 is stalled in the House Rules Committee, and the committee chair has said it will not get a hearing before the 2022 Legislature adjourns.

“I introduced and sponsored this bill, so I’m disappointed it didn’t move forward this session,” Owens wrote in the email. “Until there’s a change from the top down, I will continue to pursue legislation that brings accountability to our government.”

According to a summary on the state legislative website, the measure was referred to the Rules Committee after its first reading but has gone nowhere since. It has not yet had a committee hearing, and no hearings or floor votes are scheduled.