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A day after Gov. Kate Brown announced new social distancing restrictions for many Oregonians, the state's health authority announced 988 new COVID-19 cases, a new one-day record far exceeding the previous single-day high of 805 on Nov. 5.
On Friday, Brown said because of higher case counts stemming from community spread, Multnomah, Marion, Malheur, Jackson and Umatilla counties must limit gatherings to six people and limit restaurants and other indoor gathering spots to no more than 50 people for two weeks starting Nov. 11. Five other counties, including Clackamas and Washington, are on the cusp of the same restrictions.
"We are seeing in real time how this virus can quickly snowball out of control," Brown said yesterday. "This two-week pause is a series of measures and recommendations intended to curb human contact—both through reducing the amount of people we interact with, and the frequency of those encounters. We must stop this virus from spreading. We must preserve our hospital capacity. And we must save lives."
Brown's warning comes as many Oregonians celebrate the kickoff today of the Pac-12 football season, which may tempt fans to cluster, and the apparent resolution of the presidential election, which is also causing people to gather in crowds.
The Oregon Health Authority also announced 13 new deaths today, bringing the statewide total from the pandemic to 729.
