Sixteen Oregon counties will improve in their coronavirus risk level starting this Friday. Lane County will officially move down a category to “High" risk after months of operating at the "Extreme" risk level.
The move to "High" risk will mostly impact dining, entertainment, recreation and fitness. Indoor dining will now be allowed at 25% of a venue’s occupancy. Same goes for indoor performances and gyms.
Lane County Public Health spokesperson Jason Davis said this is something to celebrate.
“We as Lane County residents can be proud that we’ve done our part in reversing that extreme risk category and the trend of upward cases,” he said. “And now we are starting to see the results of the hard work that all have done.”
Davis said it’s important to remember Lane County is not out of the woods yet. He encouraged everyone to continue masking and distancing so that the county can reach “Low risk."
Lincoln County also improved, moving from "High" to "Lower" risk. Linn County moved from "High" to "Moderate" risk.
Meanwhile, Douglas County is one of three counties to slip backwards, with spikes in new COVID-19 case counts pushing it back into the "Extreme" level. The Oregon Health Authority has also ordered Benton County to remain in the "Extreme" risk category.
All changes in county risk categories take effect on Friday, 02/26/21.
For more information on Sector Risk Level Guidance, see the chart developed by Oregon Health Authority here.
