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Oregon Awaits Thursday’s Re-Opening Announcement

Chris Phan / Flickr

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says she’ll announce which counties have been approved for a limited re-opening during a Thursday morning press conference.

All but three Oregon counties have applied for phase one of the re-opening, which would allow more types of businesses to open their doors in a relaxing of measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

The announcement can’t come soon enough for many people who logged into a town hall meeting Wednesday evening sponsored by Oregon House Republicans. Some complained that the governor, a Democrat, is dragging her feet when it comes to re-opening the state.

House GOP leader, Rep. Christine Drazan of Canby, said she understands the frustration, but struck a conciliatory tone.

“The approach that the state of Oregon has taken is not out of line with what has been recommended by the federal government and the president, but it happens to be at a different pace than a lot of people in a lot of areas would be comfortable with,” she said.

Drazan said she's eager to see her part of the state move on to the next phase of re-opening, but only when it's appropriate. "I'm anxious for that to happen in a time and a method that's safe for my community," she said.

Drazan's home county, Clackamas, is one of three Oregon counties that has not submitted an application to the governor's office for a phase one re-opening. The other two counties that haven't applied are Multnomah and Washington.

All other counties, including Lane, could enter phase one of the re-opening as early as Friday, depending on what Gov. Brown announces on Thursday morning.

Chris Lehman has been reporting on Oregon issues since 2006. He joined the KLCC news department in December 2018 and became News Director in March 2023. Chris was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. His public broadcasting career includes stops in Louisiana and Illinois. Chris has filed for national programs including “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”
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