The reopening process in Oregon and Utah are being put on hold as several counties in both states experience spikes in their CCP virus infection cases.
Oregon saw 178 new cases of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease, which is the highest in the state so far. Similarly, on June 5, Utah said it had 556 new cases of the virus, The Hill reported.
“The noticeable increase in COVID-19 infections in Oregon over the past week is cause for concern. In order to ensure that the virus is not spreading too quickly, I am putting all county applications for further reopening on hold for seven days,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Thursday, reported KDRV.
“This is essentially a statewide ‘yellow light.’ It is time to press pause for one week before any further reopening,” Brown, a Democrat, said.
State authorities will put reopening on hold for a week in order to find out the cause of the rise in cases, according to The Hill.
Brown said she will work with doctors to determine the next best course of action—either to lift the week-long pause or extend it.
“This one week pause will give public health experts time to access what factors are driving the spread of the virus and determine if we need to adjust our approach to reopening. I will work with the doctors and public health experts to determine whether to lift this pause or extend it or make other adjustments,” Brown said, according to KDRV.
Brown urged the public to be vigilant and take necessary precautions to curb the spread of the virus.
In Utah, Gov. Gary Herbert said most of the counties in the state would remain in its yellow phase reopening process, in which businesses are allowed to open, including indoor dining services, according to NPR.
Aside from Kane County, the only county in Utah that is proceeding with the green light phase of reopening, the rest of the counties will stay in the yellow phase. Herbert, a Republican, said that Utah should not move past the yellow phase while the state investigates why cases have risen.
“I don’t want to go forward and then take a step back,” Herbert said, reported The Hill.
