Lane County will drop down to the “high risk” level for COVID-19 spread, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced today. Prior to the announcement, the county was at the “extreme risk” level — the most restrictive of the four categories used to describe the COVID-19 transmission risk in Oregon counties. 

Under high risk, Lane County businesses can offer a maximum 25% or 50-person capacity for indoor dining services and the same for indoor gyms, KMTR reported. 

“For the second time in a row, we are seeing great progress in stopping the spread of COVID-19 across Oregon and saving lives,” Brown said in a press release. “Oregonians continue to step up and make smart choices. While these county movements are welcome news, we must continue to take seriously health and safety measures, especially as more businesses reopen and we start to get out more.” 

The new warning level was prompted by an overall decline in Lane County’s COVID-19 numbers. The county reported 56.75 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, according to Lane County Public Health.

Lane County is one of seven Oregon counties to see the change from extreme to high risk in Brown’s latest rankings, including Umatilla and Marion counties.

The new level will go into effect Feb. 26 and run through March 11.