The 4 States That Have Paused Reopening Because COVID-19 Cases Are Spiking

1. Oregon

One of the very first states to pause on re-opening was Oregon on 11 June. At the end of May, the seven-day rolling average of new cases in the state was 32. It’s 168 now, according to the data collected by Oregon Live. On June 11, Gov. Kate Brown announced a one-week hold on the state’s re-opening plans.

“The noticeable increase in COVID-19 infections in Oregon over the past week is cause for concern. In order to ensure that the virus is not spreading too quickly, I am putting all county applications for further reopening on hold for seven days. This is essentially a statewide ‘yellow light.’ It is time to press pause for one week before any further reopening,” Brown said in a statement.

According to Oregon Live, “The announcement came on the night many Portlanders had hoped to receive news of a Phase 1 reopening in Multnomah County, the last of the state’s 36 counties to loosen restrictions.”

Brown reviewed the situation on June 18. She announced that the entire tri-county area, including Multnomah County, Washington County, and Clackamas County, “will remain in Phase 1 for at least 21 days after June 19 before the three counties together will become eligible for Phase 2.”

She also implemented statewide mandatory mask-wearing indoors, starting on June 24, and advised: “If hospitalizations spike too rapidly if the capacity of our health care system is threatened, we will be forced to revert to stricter rules. Our entire ability to reopen and stay open is dependent on whether each of us follows basic health and safety protections.”