UPDATE (12:30 p.m. PT) — For the second day in a row, the Oregon Health Authority on Monday reported no new deaths in the state from COVID-19. The death toll remains at 109.
In the same report, officials reported 65 new confirmed cases. The state total of coronavirus infections is 2,759.
Clark County, Washington had recorded 328 cases of coronavirus as of the weekend, with 19 known deaths due to COVID-19.
Brewers festival canceled
The festival celebrating craft breweries was scheduled for July 22–25 in Portland. In a statement, organizers wrote, “The last thing we would want to do is hold an event that could contribute to the spread of the virus and potentially introduce a second wave of infections.” The festival vows to return in July 2021.
Weekend rallies urge quicker reopening
As Gov. Kate Brown and other leaders on the West Coast start planning to lift stay-home orders, some Oregonians are agitating for them to move faster. They said the economic harm is too high and the shutdowns are government overreach.
Attendees at a Saturday rally in Salem were near-universal in their contempt for Brown and for government actions in response to the coronavirus pandemic; ralliers said elected officials are destroying the economy while exaggerating the dangers posed by the coronavirus.
Umatilla County is a rural focal point of coronavirus infections
Umatilla County is quickly becoming the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in rural Oregon, as reported by the East Oregonian.
The paper reported that over a week’s time, the number of reported cases of COVID-19 grew by 78%.
The county plans to begin lifting social restrictions by May 15.
First Multnomah County jury trial since pandemic restrictions began
Multnomah County is planning to hold its first jury trial Monday since restrictions were put in place to corral the COVID-19 pandemic. The district attorney's office announced that Michael Frank Moody faces charges of rape and other felonies.
The Multnomah County Circuit Court moved in mid-March to limit the number of people at the courthouse in an attempt to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Copyright 2020 Oregon Public Broadcasting
