Three weeks into the phased reopening of businesses and other public spaces in Oregon, Deschutes and Jefferson counties were granted permission by Gov. Kate Brown on Friday to move into Phase 2 of the reopening process.

Both counties will be able to begin Phase 2 reopening as early as Saturday, according to letters sent to both counties that were obtained by The Bulletin. Crook County, along with 25 other Oregon counties, was approved for Phase 2 Thursday.

Phase 2 of the reopening after two months of stay-at-home orders and business closures to quell the spread of COVID-19 will permit some closed venues to open up, including movie theaters, bowling alleys and arcades. Public swimming pools are also permitted to reopen. The new phase also loosens restrictions in place since Phase 1 — restaurants and bars can remain open until midnight instead of 10 p.m., and houses of worship can welcome more congregants. Both Deschutes and Jefferson counties were permitted to enter Phase 1 in mid-May.

Reopening “is the right thing to do,” said state Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, who owns restaurants in Bend. “It’s time to be able to open up in a safe way. I think this is a good step; we’re not going too far.”

“I have been watching the metrics closely, and we have not seen a spike after Memorial Day weekend,” Helt added. “We do have to remind people to practice social distancing, wash their hands with soap and wear masks where they are supposed to.”

In addition to Deschutes and Jefferson counties, Umatilla County was also approved to start Phase 2 starting Saturday.

On Thursday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced that 26 counties in the state met the requirements for Phase 2 reopening. Deschutes County was not among them because the county was not able to trace the origins of some of the nine COVID-19 cases in the county that occurred between May 24 and May 31.

Oregon Health Authority officials on Thursday worked with local public health officials to conduct further reviews of Deschutes and Jefferson counties to ensure they had met the prerequisites to start Phase 2 and are successfully tracing and isolating new cases, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

“Deschutes County wasn’t meeting one of the public health indicators that OHA looks at, so OHA reached out to Deschutes County health officials for more information and after receiving more information (it) determined that Deschutes County was sufficiently meeting the public health indicators to move into Phase 2 reopening,” said Morgan Emerson, a spokesperson for Deschutes County health department.

In Jefferson County, the state reported public officials have made contact with 100% of all new cases. In Deschutes County, the COVID-19 cases were traced to a known outbreak or were associated with out-of-state travel.

Phil Henderson, one of three Deschutes County commissioners, praised the work of Deschutes County health officials.

“Everything I have seen and heard is that our tracing skills and capacity is among the best in the state,” said Henderson in an email.

Changes from Phase 1 include increasing the limits of gathering sizes to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors. Venues including theaters and faith-based organizations can host up to 250 people as long as social-distancing measures are in place. Remote work is still encouraged, but offices may reopen with social-distancing considerations.

Phase 2 also permits Oregonians to travel around the state, although Brown is still encouraging people to stay local to prevent overloading county health care systems.

Emerson reminds Central Oregonians that COVID-19 remains a serious threat to the community.

“This is still an issue, and in the absence of a vaccine or reliable treatment we really need our public to continue taking the actions they have been taking so far to stay in Phase 1 reopening and continue to move forward,” said Emerson. That includes “staying home when they are sick, good hand hygiene, wearing cloth face coverings and continuing to practice social distancing whenever possible.”