Central Oregon welcoming a return to job gains in February following the partial reopening of in-person school and the easing of public health measures out of the extreme level. The improvement in February was most notable in Deschutes County after getting hit harder with COVID-19 related layoffs earlier in the recession.  Deschutes County posted a gain of 430 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in February, concentrated primarily in leisure and hospitality as the county moved out of the extreme category of COVID-19 restrictions allowing for a return to limited indoor dining and recreation. There was also a notable gain in local government education jobs after a partial return to in-person learning.