Gov.'s dine-in ban extended; COVID-19 advisory panel meets

PORTLAND — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown extended an order Tuesday prohibiting dine-in service at restaurants and bars as state officials reported four more deaths from the coronavirus.

Oregon’s State Emergency Coordination Center said the total number of deaths had reached 33 as of Tuesday while confirmed cases increased to over 1,180 statewide. The deaths were a 71-year-old woman, an 83-year-old woman, and a 98-year-old woman in Marion County and a 91-year-old woman in Washington County. All had underlying medical conditions.

Brown’s original order banning dine-in service was set to expire next week but now aligns with her Stay Home, Save Lives order. Both will remain in effect until lifted by Brown. Businesses can continue take-out or delivery service.

“We all want to return to a day where we can frequent the restaurants and businesses that have given Oregon its well-deserved culinary reputation and provided so many jobs,” Brown said in a news release. “But it would be irresponsible to lift these restrictions in the middle of this outbreak."

Brown also said her COVID-19 Medical Advisory Panel met for the first time Tuesday. The panel of doctors, infectious disease experts and other medical professionals will meet twice a week and have been asked to comment on the needs of Oregon’s health care system, provide advice to the governor, and serve as a resource to the Oregon Health Authority. Oregon’s health care provider community can also give input about the state’s COVID-19 response to the panel, Brown said.

“With the collective experience on this panel, we can work together to make sure we have this crisis covered from every possible angle,” Brown said, adding that if current projections hold, Oregonians’ continued adherence to social distancing measures will flatten the curve of COVID-19 spread in Oregon.

For most people, COVID-19 displays mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can be more severe, causing pneumonia or death.