In a continuing effort to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that she would require schools across the state to stay closed for six weeks—through April 28. This extends the two week closures she previously announced.
"I do not take the decision to extend school closures lightly," Brown said in a statement. "This will have real impacts on Oregon's students, parents, and educators. But we must act now to flatten the curve and slow the rate of COVID-19 transmission in Oregon, otherwise we face a higher strain on our medical system and greater loss of life to this disease."
This comes after she ordered the closing of bars and restaurants, and required gatherings to be limited to 25 people.
Brown now says the closure is directly related to slowing the spread of the virus. This is different from her communication last week, when she argued school closures were only necessary for some districts that were struggling to staff schools.