Douglas County Submits Phase One Reopening Application

(Douglas County, Ore.) Your Douglas County Board of Commissioners, led by Board Chair, Commissioner Chris Boice, worked diligently in conjunction with our Public Health Official, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer to quickly complete and submit our reopening application to the Governor earlier today. Our application is a part of the Governor’s Phase One Plan requirements to begin the process of reopening our county. Today, May 8, 2020 is the first day the State began accepting the reopening applications. The decision to grant Douglas County businesses permission to begin a Phase One Reopening now lies in the hands of the Governor. According to the reopening plan guidelines, the submitted applications will be reviewed, and counties that receive approval from the Governor, could enter Phase One as soon as May 15, 2020. “We are hopeful and encouraged by the opportunity to submit our reopening application. Our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, under the direction of Commissioner Tim Freeman, along with the incredible work accomplished by our Public Health Official, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer and Douglas Public Health Network, have paved the way for Douglas County to be in the right position to begin the reopening process in a safe and organized manner,” commented Commissioner Boice. “We have done our due diligence, met the criteria outlined and we are ready!” Douglas County continues to be recognized as leader in Oregon for our COVID-19 response for our drive-through testing, coordinated planning, prevention messaging and hospital/care facility capacity preparedness. As more information becomes available about our reopening application, we will provide updates and guidance to our residents. For more information about the Governor’s Phase One Reopening Plan, click here https://www.oregon.gov/oha/erd/pages/covid-19-news.aspx