Umatilla County is experiencing one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Oregon. In response, Gov. Kate Brown halted reopening in the county and moved Umatilla back to what’s known as the baseline. This means that businesses deemed nonessential must remain closed for at least three weeks and restaurants are limited to takeout only.
Umatilla County vice chair George Murdock told OPB: “Hopefully this will be a strong enough message to the 80,000 residents of Umatilla County that if we open back up, we’re all going to have to be in it together.” We talk with Murdock about how the community is dealing with the setback, and how it’s approaching the political and public health challenges to get COVID-19 cases down.
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