Douglas County Approved to Enter Phase Two

(Douglas County, Ore.) Douglas County Board of Commissioners are pleased to announce that thanks to our residents, and the continued diligence of our Public Health Officer, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, Douglas Public Health Network and the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, WE DID IT! Our Commissioners received notice today that Douglas County has successfully completed Phase One of the Governor’s Reopening Plan, and our request letter (sent on Friday, May 29, 2020) to enter Phase Two has been approved by the Governor. (Click here for a copy of the approval letter) Douglas County will be among the first of Oregon’s counties to enter the Governor’s Phase Two process that looks to provide further relaxing of restrictions on group gatherings, as well as additional opportunities for businesses to reopen and expand offerings. As mentioned in the Governor’s press conference on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, there will be expanded openings for recreational activities, including public pools, museums, movie theaters and summer youth camps. Additionally, collegiate athletes will be able to resume sports activities. All of these will of course be subject to new guidelines and restrictions as directed by the Governor and the Oregon Health Authority. At this time, we are still awaiting final guidance from the Governor on her Phase Two guidelines. Douglas County will begin Phase Two of the Governor’s Reopening Plan on Friday, June 5, 2020, exactly 21 days after we entered Phase One. “Phase One of Reopening in Douglas County has gone very well. We are fortunate to have the support of our local communities; that we have the right people in the right places to guide us through this pandemic; and we have put ourselves in the position to advance to Phase Two. Even though we are moving forward, this will not be a quick or easy road for our local businesses or residents. We will all need to work together to help our neighbors, friends, families and our livelihoods rebound from this crisis. Please continue to support your local communities by making purchases, dining out, staying home if you are sick and signing up to volunteer when and where you can,” remarked Commissioner Chris Boice. Douglas County’s Phase Two request letter was submitted on Friday, May 29, 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 Phase Two advancement letter to the Governor. “We are entering Phase Two because of our vigorous response to COVID-19. We have done all the hard work locally to prepare and respond to this pandemic. We do anticipate more cases because the threat of this virus is not gone, but we have increased our epidemiology capability to track cases and support quarantine and isolation to reduce the spread. All indicators are showing we have a low burden of COVID disease here locally. But, we still encourage people to socially distance, stay home if you’re sick and wear masks in public to reduce the spread if you’re asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. I believe we are prepared to enter this next phase,” 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 am very proud of our County and the hard work that has gone into our COVID-19 response efforts,” commented Commissioner Tom Kress. “The advancement to Phase Two is a reward for all our efforts!” 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. “I do not think I can say this enough; we are incredibly blessed to have the amazingly talented team of professionals in our County that we do. They have successfully led the charge for our COVID-19 response. The work done by Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer, Douglas Public Health Network and the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team has been remarkable. The proof is in the numbers, our consistent messaging and the unprecedented cooperation of our medical and business communities,” stated Commissioner Tim Freeman. Here is a copy of the governors letter to Douglas County: - http://www.co.douglas.or.us/media_room/coronavirus/information/06.04.20_Douglas%20County%20Phase%202%20letter%20of%20approval.pdf