Although the Oregon Governor Requests Social Distancing, DMV Offices Draw Crowds

Until the governor closes non-essential public-facing offices, people will continue to congregate.

Northeast 82nd Avenue. (Wesley Lapointe)
By Nigel Jaquiss

This morning, Gov. Kate Brown said that social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is a "matter of life or death."

In California and Washington, governors have issued sweeping closures of bars, restaurants, night clubs, movie theaters and other facilities where crowds gather. Oregon's response is less aggressive.

A check of wait times at Oregon Department of Motor Vehicle offices this morning, for instance,  shows that people are queued up in the agency's infamously long lines despite warnings from the governor and public health agencies.

Here's what DMW wait times looked like this morning:

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Nigel Jaquiss

Nigel Jaquiss

Reporter Nigel Jaquiss joined the Oregon Journalism project in 2025 after 27 years at Willamette Week.

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