PORTLAND, Ore. — Governor Kate Brown announced on Tuesday that a new executive order will extend the ban on dining in at restaurants indefinitely, aligning it with her broad "Stay Home, Save Lives" order which already did not have a deadline.
“We all want to return to a day where we can frequent the restaurants and businesses that have given Oregon its well-deserved culinary reputation and provided so many jobs for Oregonians,” said Governor Brown. “I wish I could say there was a date certain when that could happen. But it would be irresponsible to lift these restrictions in the middle of this outbreak."
RELATED: Many local restaurants still offering take-out or delivery after Governor forbids dine-in
Executive Order 20-14 extends the prohibition on dine-in food and drink consumption until the order is rescinded. The original order, 20-07, was only effective through April 14 "unless extended or terminated earlier by the Governor."
The extension does not come unexpected, since the social distancing measures enshrined in Governor Brown's larger stay-at-home order are likely to last until the spread of COVID-19 has been significantly curbed. Oregon health officials had already filed temporary rules end-dated beyond this summer in anticipation of lengthened restrictions on restaurants, though they said that it's highly unlikely those restrictions will last that long.
RELATED: Oregon's stay-at-home order: What does it mean and where am I allowed to go?
“I will be working with my Medical Advisory Panel, the Oregon Health Authority, and local officials to continue to evaluate how and when we can begin to return to a time where public spaces are safe from the spread of COVID-19,” Brown said.
The Governor issued a similar extension for an earlier order that declared an "abnormal market disruption" in Oregon for essential consumer goods and services, allowing for the state to crack down on price gouging.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more details as they emerge.
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