Changes to Business COVID Guidelines
Last week, Governor Brown announced some changes to business guidance for counties in the “Extreme Risk” category, which includes Deschutes County. While these are not major changes, some of them may allow you to resume or expand business operations that were closed by prior guidance.

Highlights of these changes include:

For indoor entertainment recreation and fitness establishments:

• Establishments 500 sq. ft. or larger can now allow a maximum of six people total, not including employees, in shared indoor entertainment spaces.
• A minimum of six feet of physical distancing between households is still required.
• Limit to the minimum number of employees needed to operate the establishment.
• For establishments smaller than 500 sq. ft, the maximum capacity is one customer and one employee total; i.e. allowing for one-on-one personal training.
• Indoor on-site consumption of food and drink is prohibited.
  

For restaurants: 

1. Redefines outdoor space to allow for 50% of any walls or tenting to be open to the outside. Previous rules required 75% of outdoor dining space to be open to the elements.
2. Allows for individual dining pods (one household max four people)
3. Allows for video lottery terminals to be used while wearing a mask (and not eating or drinking)

You can find the revised restaurant guidance here.

You can view more information, including full guidance for specific industries here, note that you’ll need to scroll down to the “Guidance from OHA” section.

Deschutes County will remain in the Extreme Risk category until at least February 11. The next alert from the State on whether we’ll be moving to a lower category, which would provide for a reduction in business restrictions should come on February 8.

If you’re reading through these new rules and have questions about how they’ll be enforced, please reach out to Ben Hemson, Business Advocate with City of Bend at bhemson@bendoregon.gov.