The measure comes just a week after the Oregon government introduced a “two-week pause” on social activities in a number of counties, which, however, turned out to be ineffective in fighting the virus, the governor has acknowledged.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown has announced a statewide “Two-Week Freeze” starting on Wednesday, 18 November, in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Some “COVID-19 hotspot counties” will need to enter quarantine for much longer than just two weeks, Brown added.
“Starting 18 November, I’m instituting a statewide Two-Week Freeze to give Oregon a fighting chance to stop this alarming spike in COVID-19 cases”, Borwn tweeted on Friday. “This is hard. But we are trying to stop this deadly virus from spreading, to save lives. Oregon, we can do this.”
The new measures include limiting gatherings to six people from no more than two households and allowing restaurants to provide only take-out and delivery services. In addition, all gyms, indoor and outdoor entertainment activities will be closed, while businesses will be required to provide working from home to the maximum extent possible.
Masks are obligatory to wear everywhere, and according to Brown, “the evidence is very, very clear that masks save lives”.
She pointed out that a similar measure is taking place in New Mexico, adding that infections are surging across the country.
This is not just happening in Oregon. @GovMLG began a 2-week reset to save lives in New Mexico.
The dreaded winter surge is here. Infection records are being set in states across the country. We are all in this together, and we must work together to stop the spread of COVID-19. https://t.co/gjvl13MTQx— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) November 13, 2020
Following Oregon and California, where COVID-19 travel advisories have been issued, Washington Governor Jay Inslee has also introduced a recommended 14-day quarantine for both interstate and international travel.