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Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (Oregon)

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Responses by state

Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This article contains coverage of eight kinds of state government responses to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The article tracks developments in these areas that took place between the start of the pandemic in March 2020 through Dec. 4, 2020. The government responses covered here include:

Additionally, the article includes:

To view current coverage areas, including mask requirements, school responses, travel restrictions, and much more, click a state in the map below.

Documenting_STATE%27s_path_to_recovery_from_the_coronavirus_(COVID-19)_pandemic,_2020-2021


Changes to election dates and procedures, March 16 through November 19

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

General election changes

Oregon did not modify any procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Primary election changes

Oregon made no changes to its primary election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Click the gray bar below for more detailed information.



Statewide stay-at-home order, March 23 through December 4

See also: States with lockdown and stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

On March 23, Gov. Kate Brown (D) issued Executive Order No. 20-12, which directed individuals in the state to stay at home unless performing essential activities and placed restrictions on non-essential businesses.[1] The order did not have a fixed end date.

On May 18, Baker County Circuit Judge Matt Shirtcliff issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of more than 10 executive orders issued by Brown in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the stay-at-home order. Shirtcliff concluded the restrictions Brown placed on individuals, businesses, and houses of worship are only authorized by state law to last a maximum of 28 days without input from the legislature. The lawsuit was brought by 10 churches who sued the Governor over restrictions that prevented them from gathering. Shirtcliff said the restrictions on places of worship weren't necessary for public safety because congregants could engage in social distancing. Brown said she would immediately appeal the decision to the Oregon Supreme Court to keep the orders in effect. Later that day, the Oregon Supreme Court stayed Shirtcliff's ruling until the justices of the state court of last resort could review the case.[2][3] The court issued a ruling upholding the lockdown orders on June 12.[4]

Multnomah became the final county to enter Phase One of Oregon's reopening plan on June 19, effectively lifting the state's stay-at-home order.[5]

Following the release of Executive Order No. 20-12, the State released a list of business categories whose functions make it impossible to maintain social distancing. The information below lists those categories.[6]

“

Allowed (must keep 6 feet from others)

  • Hospitals and health care
  • Grocery stores
  • Banks and Credit Unions
  • Pharmacies
  • Take-out/delivery from restaurants and bars
  • Pet stores
  • Gas stations
  • Certain retail stores
  • Outdoor activities like walking your dog, jogging, or biking in your neighborhood
  • Child care facilities and babysitters (only if abiding by new rules)

Not Allowed

  • Social gatherings (parties, celebrations) with people from outside of your household
  • Dine-in restaurants and bars
  • Nightclubs and concerts
  • Shopping at outdoor or indoor malls and retail complexes
  • Fitness: Gyms, sports and fitness centers, health clubs, and exercise studios, dance and yoga studios
  • Grooming: Hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, day spas and massage services, non-medical wellness spas, cosmetic stores, tattoo parlors
  • Entertainment: Theaters, amusement parks, arcades, bowling alleys, music concerts, sporting events, museums, skating rinks
  • Outdoors: State parks, playgrounds, campgrounds, pools, skate parks, festivals

[7]

”

Executive orders, March 30 through June 29

See also: Executive orders issued by governors and state agencies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020


Court closures, March 17 through November 4

See also: State court closures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
  • July 1, 2020: Jury trials in all civil and criminal cases were permitted to resume in counties where at least 50 people can gather in one spot.[8]
  • June 1, 2020: Bench trials were permitted to resume counties in Phase One of Oregon's reopening plan.[9]
  • May 15, 2020: Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters ordered that bench trials could restart on June 1, and jury trials could resume on July 1.[10]
  • March 27, 2020:The Oregon Supreme Court extended their previous order and suspended non-essential in-person proceedings and most jury trials through June 1.[11]
  • March 12, 2020: Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters ordered most jury trials and hearings across the state be postponed until at least March 27.[12]

Legislative session changes, March 20 through October 1

See also: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

No modifications to state legislative activity in Oregon were made.

Proposed and enacted legislation, March 25 through August 19

See also: State laws in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

See below for a complete list of bills related to the coronavirus pandemic in Oregon. To learn more about a particular bill, click its title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Rent, mortgage, eviction, and foreclosure policies, April 9 through November 24

See also: Changes to rent, mortgage, eviction, and foreclosure policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020


  • September 28, 2020: Gov. Kate Brown (D) issued an order extending the statewide moratorium on residential evictions through December 31. The new order, which went into effect September 30, does not cover commercial evictions.[13]
  • August 31, 2020: Gov. Kate Brown (D) issued an order extending the statewide foreclosure moratorium through December. A statewide moratorium on evictions was scheduled to expire at the end of September.[14]
  • June 26, 2020: The Oregon legislature voted to extend the state's moratorium on commercial and residential evictions September 30. The bill also gave renters until March 31, 2021, to pay back nonpayment balances. Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed the bill June 30.[15][16]
  • April 1, 2020: Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed an executive order which temporarily suspended certain evictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic for 90 days through June 30.[17]


Prison inmate release responses, March 30 through July 1

See also: State and local governments that released prison inmates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
  • June 12, 2020: Governor Kate Brown provided the Oregon Department of Corrections with criteria for the agency to present her office with a list of inmates who may be eligible for early release. Criteria include medically vulnerable inmates, those not serving a sentence for crimes against another person, and those who have served half of their sentences. The Department of Corrections reported that about 100 inmates fit this criteri[18]
  • April 14, 2020: Gov. Kate Brown (D) announced that she would not release inmates due to the coronavirus pandemic. During a press conference on April 14, Brown stated that she was concerned about coronavirus in state prisons and that she had reviewed the Oregon Department of Correction's plan for containment. The governor said, "Whether an adult in custody should be released before the end of their sentence or not is a decision that must be weighed based on the individual merits of their situation...I want to be clear: at this time, I have no specific plans to abandon that case-by-case approach."[19]
  • March 27, 2020: The Oregon Supreme Court ordered presiding judges to work with law enforcement and community corrections to identify individuals who could safely be released or were eligible for release.[20]


Debate in Oregon over responses to the coronavirus

See also: Debate in Oregon over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia is covering the debate over continuing restrictions and closures in Oregon in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Click on the links below to read more about these debates.

Status of industries, May 15 through July 31

Between May 15 and July 31, we conducted detailed tracking of industries and activities in each state daily.

  • "Yes" means an activity was allowed or an industry was permitted to open. "No" means an activity was not allowed or an industry was not permitted to reopen.
  • Some rules were applied regionally rather than statewide. Each cell shows the loosest restriction in place at the time, or the broadest level of an activity permitted in the state, even if that activity was only permitted regionally. Where applicable, we indicated that an activity was only permitted regionally, and provided details in a cell note. For example, if gyms were permitted to open in half of a state, the spreadsheet would say "Yes (regionally)," and differences between the regions would be explained in a note.
  • A lack of detail in a note or parentheses does not necessarily mean that an activity or industry was "back to normal." We did our best to capture caveats, exceptions, and modifications to activities. We acknowledge, though, that states put forth a large number of requirements for many industries and activities.

Initial reopening plan from March and April 2020 closures

Oregon released an initial reopening plan from March and April 2020 closures on May 7, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on June 10. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

Summary from Documenting America's Path to Recovery

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: June 10, 2020

On May 7, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) released initial details of a three-phase reopening plan, including Phase I reopenings and requirements for moving into Phase I. Brown said, "Today, thanks to millions of Oregonians following the strict physical distancing orders I put in place, I am happy to say these sacrifices have prevented as many as 70,000 COVID-19 infections, and 1,500 hospitalizations in Oregon. We are on track in meeting the goals that doctors and public health experts have laid out for us." Thirty-one of Oregon's 36 counties met criteria to enter Phase 1 on May 15. As of June 10, 29 counties have entered Phase II. Six counties are in Phase I. Multnomah County, home to Portland, is the only county that has not yet entered Phase I. Brown established the following criteria for entering Phase I. Most criteria are considered by the county or health region. 1. Declining COVID-19 Prevalence

  • Hospitalizations measured by county declining for 14 days
  • Emergency department visits for COVID-like illness below influenza-like illness baseline measured statewide

2. Minimum Testing Regimen

  • 30 tests per 10k population per week
  • Accessible testing for underserved communities

3. Contact Tracing System

  • 15 tracers per 100k population
  • Able to trace 95% of contacts within 24 hours
  • Cultural and linguistic competence

4. Isolation/Quarantine Facilities

  • Available room capacity
  • Response narratives for group living outbreaks

5. Finalized Statewide Sector Guidelines 6. Sufficient Healthcare Capacity

  • 20% hospital bed surge capacity

7. Sufficient PPE supply

  • Required daily inventory reporting to [Oregon Health Authority]
  • 30-day supply required; 14-days for small and rural hospitals
  • Sufficient PPE for first responders in the county

Counties must continue meeting Phase I criteria, plus additional criteria to enter Phase II. Those include:

  • Demonstrating the ability to trace new cases within 24 hours
  • Ability to identify where new cases are coming from at least 70% of the time
  • No significant increase in cases

The minimum length of Phase I is 21 days. Phase III is set to begin once a treatment or vaccine is available. The Oregon Health Authority has issued industry-specific requirements and recommendations for reopening businesses and activities.

Context

* On March 23, Brown issued a stay-at-home order requiring individuals to stay home as much as possible and practice social distancing outside the home. The order closed certain businesses and required telework wherever possible. Brown signed an executive order on May 14 establishing the three-phase reopening process and continuing stay-at-home measures. The order contained details for Phase I reopenings, replacing the March 23 order. Brown issued an executive order on June 5 with Phase II reopening details, replacing the May 14 order. Multnomah County remains under stay-at-home guidelines from the May 14 order.

  • As of June 9, Oregon had 4,988 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 and 169 deaths. Oregon's estimated population as of July 2019 was 4.2 million. For every 100,000 residents, Oregon had 118.3 cases and 4.0 deaths.
  • Oregon is a Democratic trifecta, with a Democratic governor and Democratic majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.

Plan details

County/region process Timeline Oregon has 36 counties. The following timeline shows when and how many counties have been allowed to enter phases of the plan. Click here to see each county's status.

  • May 15: 31 counties could enter Phase I.
  • May 22-23: Marion, Polk, and Clackamas counties could enter Phase I of reopening.
  • June 1: Washington County could enter Phase I.
  • June 5-8: 29 counties could enter Phase II.

Health regions The Oregon Health Authority established seven health regions into which counties are grouped. The following reopening criteria must be met on the health region level as opposed to the county level:

  • Minimum testing regimen
  • Sufficient healthcare capacity
  • Sufficient personal protective equipment supply

Baseline (Pre-Phase I) and statewide reopenings May 1

  • "Non-emergency medical care, dentist offices and veterinary care are open and operating, provided they meet required safety guidelines."

May 5

May 15

  • "Stand alone retail operations are open provided they meet required safety and physical distancing guidelines."
  • "Child care is open under certain restrictions, with priority placements for children of health care workers, first responders, and frontline workers."
  • "Day camps are open with restrictions, including maximum stable groups of 10 or fewer children."
  • "For summer school, limited in-person, small group instruction and/or summer programming is allowed, with certain restrictions."

June 3

  • Zoos, museums, and gardens were allowed to open statewide with certain guidelines.

Individual/social baseline restrictions

  • "Local cultural, civic and faith gatherings are allowed for up to 25 people provided physical distancing can be in place."
  • "Local social gatherings over 10 people are prohibited and those under 10 people must use physical distancing."

Phase I Businesses

  • Restaurants and bars (tables spaced at least 6 feet apart, employees must wear face coverings, end on-site consumption by 10 p.m., additional guidelines)
  • Personal care services, such as barbershops, hair salons, massage therapy, and nail salons (by appointment only, pre-appointment customer health check, physical distancing between clients, face coverings for employees and clients depending on activity, additional guidelines)
  • Gyms and fitness centers (capacity limits, physical distancing and sanitation guidelines, additional guidelines)
  • Shopping centers and malls (capacity limit, additional guidelines)
  • Remote work required to the maximum extent possible

Individual/social

  • Gathering size limit increases from 10 to 25 (local gatherings, no travel)
  • Local travel only

Phase II Businesses/sites

  • Theaters, movie theaters, places of worship (ensure adequate ventilation, post signage with information on symptoms and physical distancing, additional guidelines)
  • Bowling, arcades, mini-golf, and other indoor or outdoor entertainment (capacity limit, require employees to wear masks, additional guidelines)
  • Restaurants and bars expanded opening (curfew extended to 12 a.m., additional guidelines)
  • Swimming pools (prohibit staff/attendees with COVID symptoms from entering premises, employees must wear face coverings when not in the water, additional guidelines)
  • No-contact recreational sports (prohibit staff/players with COVID symptoms from participating, discourage high-risk individuals from attending, ensure adequate ventilation, cleaning protocols, additional guidelines)
  • Remote work recommended but not required

Individual/social

  • Gathering limit increases to 50 indoors and 100 outdoors (does not apply to sites with other specified capacity limits)
  • Increased travel, commensurate with reopenings

Phase III As of June 10, the following details were available on Phase III: "Large gatherings and events are not possible until reliable treatment or prevention is available. As a result, these are canceled or significantly modified through at least September." Possible reopenings:

  • "Concerts, conventions, festivals, live-audience sports (tentative & subject to change)"

Further guidance for individuals * Vulnerable populations must still stay at home

  • Limited visits to nursing homes, hospitals
  • Limited gatherings
  • Limited travel
  • Increased hygiene, cleaning, and sanitation
  • Stay home when sick
  • Wear face coverings when in public
  • Use of personal protective equipment when in close quarters

Reactions

* On May 7, state Rep. Mark Owens (R) said, "It’s a good day for Oregon. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. … Small businesses are the backbone of my community, my district, and they’re the backbone of this state. … We need to get them back to normal as soon as possible."

  • On May 7, state Rep. Daniel Bonham (R) said, "We’ve been proceeding down a path to try and meet some Phase I guidelines and get people back to work ... and a little bit of that was modified today. … Goal posts were changed, and areas of the state were not reflected in the guidelines. [I] certainly did not anticipate statements of large group activities not happening prior to the end of September."


Coronavirus resources

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.

State resources

Twitter feeds for government officials and agencies appear below.

Federal resources

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Oregon Coronavirus Information and Resources', "Executive Order NO. 20-12," March 23, 2020
  2. ↑ CBS News, "Oregon coronavirus restrictions kept in place, for now," May 19, 2020
  3. ↑ Baker City Herald, "Baker County Judge overturns Governor's coronavirus executive orders," May 18, 2020
  4. ↑ Associated Press, "Oregon Supreme Court upholds governor’s shutdown orders," accessed June 19, 2020
  5. ↑ Oregon Governor's Office, "Governor Kate Brown Announces Plans for Face Covering Requirement, Outlines Next Steps in County Reopening Process," June 19, 2020
  6. ↑ Oregon Coronavirus Information & Resources', "Executive Order: Stay Home Except for Essential Needs," accessed March 26, 2020
  7. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  8. ↑ [https://www.courts.oregon.gov/news/Lists/ArticleNews/Attachments/1229/1ff91edf3d37ee489b78289309e59b45-CJO_20-016_news_release.pdf Oregon State Courts, "Oregon Chief Justice authorizes expanded court activities in reopening counties, orders three court closure days to address budget reductions," May 15, 2020]
  9. ↑ [https://www.courts.oregon.gov/news/Lists/ArticleNews/Attachments/1229/1ff91edf3d37ee489b78289309e59b45-CJO_20-016_news_release.pdf Oregon State Courts, "Oregon Chief Justice authorizes expanded court activities in reopening counties, orders three court closure days to address budget reductions," May 15, 2020]
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named May18
  11. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Coronavirus and the Courts - March 30," March 30, 2020
  12. ↑ Salem Statesman Journal, "Oregon courts to close for most jury trials, hearings due to coronavirus pandemic," March 16, 2020
  13. ↑ KGW8, "Gov. Brown issues new ban on residential evictions in Oregon," September 28, 2020
  14. ↑ KGW8, "Gov. Brown extends foreclosure moratorium amid pandemic," August 31, 2020
  15. ↑ The Oregonian, "Oregon lawmakers extend commercial, residential eviction moratorium through September," June 29, 2020
  16. ↑ KGW8, "Oregon’s eviction ban extended through September," June 30, 2020
  17. ↑ Oregon.gov, "Executive Order No. 20-13," April 1, 2020
  18. ↑ The Prison Policy Initiative", "Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic," June 17, 2020
  19. ↑ OPB, "Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Won't Release Prisoners Over COVID Risks," April 14, 2020
  20. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Coronavirus and the Courts - March 30," March 30, 2020
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