Douglas County Board of Commissioners
Douglas County Submits Phase Two Request Letter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 29, 2020
(Douglas County, Ore.) Your Douglas County Board of Commissioners, led by Board Chair, Commissioner Chris Boice, worked diligently in conjunction with our Public Health Official, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer to quickly complete and submit our Phase Two reopening request letter to the Governor earlier today. The Governor announced late last night that Oregon Counties that are in the no-less-than twenty-one-day Phase One Reopening trial-period can submit their Phase Two request letters starting today, Friday, May 29, 2020. Our request letter is the next-step in the process for the Governor’s Phased Reopening Plan that provides further relaxing of restrictions, as well as additional opportunities for businesses to reopen and offer expanded services in our County. Douglas County has been in Phase One of Reopening since Friday, May 15, 2020. The Governor’s Phased Reopening Plan comes after she issued mandatory closures and shutdowns for specific sector businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020. The decision to grant Douglas County businesses permission to begin Phase Two Reopening now lies in the hands of the Governor. According to the reopening plan guidelines, the submitted letters will be reviewed, and counties that receive approval from the Governor, could enter Phase Two as soon as June 5, 2020.
“Again, we are confident that our efforts to combat COVID-19 in our County will pay off with the Governor approving our request to enter Phase Two. Our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, under the direction of Commissioner Tim Freeman, along with the incredible work accomplished by our Public Health Official, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer and Douglas Public Health Network, have paved the way for Douglas County to be in the right position to advance to Phase Two in a safe and structured manner,” commented Commissioner Boice.
Douglas County continues to be recognized as leader in Oregon for our COVID-19 response for our drive-through testing, coordinated planning, prevention messaging and hospital/care facility capacity preparedness. As more information becomes available about our Phase Two Reopening approval, we will provide updates and guidance to our residents. For more information about the Governor’s Phased Reopening Plan, click here.
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Contact Tamara Howell, Emergency Communications & Community Engagement Specialist (PIO)
(541) 670-2804 cell - (541) 957-4896 office - tjhowell@co.douglas.or.us
About Douglas County
Douglas County Government employs approximately 800 full- and part-time employees in a wide variety of jobs. The Board of Commissioners, consisting of three full-time members, is the county’s governing body. They provide a direct link between the citizens of Douglas County and their county government. The Board of Commissioners is responsible for: approving ordinances (county laws); adopting the county budget; setting standards for the use of county property; appointing non-elected officials to boards, commissions, and committees; and oversees all operations of the county.