Douglas County Approved by Governor for Phase 1 Reopening

Douglas County has received approval from Oregon Governor Kate Brown to transition into a Phase 1 reopening. Here is a copy of the letter sent to Commissioner Freeman shared by Commissioner Boice this morning. ------------ May 13, 2020 Douglas County Board of Commissioners Tim Freeman, Board Chair 1036 S.E. Douglas Ave. Roseburg, Oregon 97470 Chair Freeman, Thank you for the effort you, your hospitals and your public health experts put into your plan for meeting the prerequisites demonstrating your county’s preparedness for beginning to lift restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am pleased to inform you that your county’s application to enter Phase I on May 15th has been approved. My goals for a safe and strong Oregon: 1. Minimize hospitalizations and deaths; 2. Allow people to return to work so they can support themselves and their families; 3. Minimize risk to frontline workers; 4. Avoid overwhelming the health care system; 5. Protect those at highest risk of severe illness, especially the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and communities of color; and 6. Support social/cultural/spiritual reopening for small groups that preserve community cohesion and cultural practices. I want to be clear that reopening does not come without risks. With every restriction lifted we know transmission of the virus has the potential to increase. The contact tracing, testing and personal protective equipment requirements that were part of the conditions for opening will be essential to mitigate that transmission increase. The Oregon Health Authority will be monitoring the spread of COVID-19 in your county, and throughout the state, and will be ready to work with you if any concerns arise. Thank you for all of your hard work and vigilance on behalf of Oregonians. Sincerely, Governor Kate Brown ------------- Here is the release from the Douglas County Commissioners early Thursday morning. (Douglas County, Ore.) Douglas County Board of Commissioners received notice late last night that their application to begin the Phase One Reopening process in Douglas County has been approved by Oregon’s Governor. The first phase of the reopening process will begin for county businesses on Friday, May 15, 2020. Douglas County will be among the first of Oregon’s counties to start the process of reopening businesses and kick start our economy after the mandated closures were issued by the Governor in her Executive Order #20-12 dated March 17, 2020 in response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. “This has been a tumultuous time for many of our citizens, as well as for the livelihood of our local businesses, but hopefully the reopening process will bring renewed life back into our struggling economy. Douglas County worked hard to make sure every aspect of managing the health and safety of our citizens was carefully prepared and organized in order to be on the forefront of the reopening process,” stated Commissioner Chris Boice. Douglas County’s application was submitted on Friday, May 8, 2020 by Board Chair, Commissioner Chris Boice, who worked in conjunction with our Public Health Official, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer to quickly complete and submit our reopening application to the Governor. “I am glad we have done so well in limiting the outbreaks and keeping our health care facilities from getting overwhelmed during the pandemic. I think we are as ready as anywhere to safely begin reopening our businesses. We may see more cases, but we will continue to be vigilant in limiting the impact of COVID-19 to our citizens,” said Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Official. 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. “I want to thank the Governor for recognizing the hard work Douglas County has done in combating this virus. It is a tremendous measure of reassurance for a job well done,” stated Commissioner Tom Kress. As the delegated liaison Commissioner to the COVID-19 crisis response, Commissioner Tim Freeman has directed the efforts of the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team. “Douglas County owes a tremendous amount of gratitude to Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Official, Douglas Public Health Network and the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team for what they have accomplished in successfully managing the COVID-19 pandemic in Douglas County. If it was not for their cooperative efforts, we would not be able to safely start the process of reopening our businesses in a measured and phased manner. A huge thank you also needs to be given to the citizens of Douglas County for taking the crisis seriously, helping to flatten the curve for the spread of the virus, and for stepping up to help our fellow citizens in a desperate time. We ALL made this happen together,” commented Commissioner Tim Freeman. ------------ For more details on Phase 1 Guidance - https://govstatus.egov.com/or-covid-19