Governor Announces Updates to County Risk Levels; Tillamook County Moves to “Moderate” Risk Level with 31 Cases during 2-week period – effective 3/12/21

(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown today announced updates to county risk levels under the state’s public health framework to reduce transmission and protect Oregonians from COVID-19. The framework uses four different risk levels for counties based on COVID-19 spread—Extreme Risk, High Risk, Moderate Risk, and Lower Risk—and assigns health and safety measures for each level.

Effective March 12 through March 25, there will be two counties in the Extreme Risk level, nine at High Risk, 12 at Moderate Risk, and 13 at Lower Risk.

Here is the complete list of counties and their associated risk levels is available:

County Risk Categories, Effective March 12 – 25
(Data as of March 6, 2021)
Changes from Previous Two-Week Period are Marked in Green and Red
Lower Risk (13)
Clatsop
Crook (Moved from High)
Gilliam
Grant
Harney (Moved from Moderate)
Hood River (Moved from Moderate)
Lake (Moved from Moderate)
Lincoln
Morrow (Moved from Moderate)
Sherman
Wallowa
Wasco
Wheeler

Moderate Risk (12)
Baker (Moved from Lower)
Clackamas
Deschutes (Moved from High)
Klamath (Moved from High)
Lane (Moved from High)
Linn
Malheur*
Multnomah (Moved from High)
Tillamook (Moved from Lower)
Union
Washington
Yamhill (Moved from High)

High Risk (9)
Benton (Moved from Extreme)
Columbia
Curry (Moved from Moderate)
Jackson**
Jefferson (Moved from Extreme)
Josephine (Moved from Extreme)
Marion
Polk
Umatilla

Extreme Risk (2)
Coos
Douglas

*Malheur County qualifies for High Risk but is given a two-week caution period at Moderate Risk because it moved down from Extreme Risk in the last movement period.
**Jackson County qualifies for Extreme Risk but is given a two-week caution period at High Risk because it moved down from Extreme Risk in the last movement period.

“We are largely seeing case rates decline across the state, with the most counties in the Lower Risk level since the framework was introduced in November,” said Governor Brown. “This should serve as a reminder that when we follow the health and safety measures we know work against this virus, we can truly make a difference in infection spread. But, we still have more work to do before we reach the level of community-wide protection we need in order to return to a sense of normalcy. I encourage all Oregonians to keep it up and to get your vaccine when it’s available to you.”

Jackson and Malheur Counties enter Two-Week Caution Period

A modification has been made to the two-week caution period process announced last week, which had only addressed counties moving back to Extreme Risk. Beginning this week and continuing until further notice, counties that reduced their COVID-19 spread enough to move down in risk level in the previous two-week period, but see their numbers go back up in the next two-week period, will be given a two-week caution period to bring COVID-19 case rates back down again.

This week, the caution period applies to two counties:

• Jackson County qualifies for Extreme Risk but is given a two-week caution period at High Risk because it moved down from Extreme Risk in the last movement period.
• Malheur County qualifies for High Risk but is given a two-week caution period at Moderate Risk because it moved down from Extreme Risk in the last movement period.