UPDATE (April 14, 5:34 p.m. PT) — Gov. Kate Brown said she won’t reopen Oregon’s economy or ease restrictions until she sees a declining rate of active cases of the novel coronavirus and public health data suggesting a return to normalcy is safe.
In a press conference Tuesday, Brown said she wants to ensure the state has a robust testing, tracing and isolation strategy. She also said she needs to feel confident the state has enough hospital beds to treat any surge of COVID-19 cases and enough protective gear for health care workers.
That follows the Monday announcement from Brown and the governors of Washington and California that they have a “shared vision” for reopening businesses and managing the coronavirus in the future.
In a co-authored statement, the leaders set out some early criteria for restarting the economy.
They said people’s health has to come first. Any decision to ease stay-at-home orders would not come if it endangers people’s lives. The governors said they would be looking at data, specifically a declining rate of virus spread, before any large-scale reopening.
Oregon's toll continues to climb
The Oregon Health Authority on Tuesday announced two new COVID-19 deaths and an additional 50 new diagnoses.
The two people who died include a 71-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive for COVID-19 on April 1 and died Sunday at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center. The other death involved an 88-year-old woman from Benton County who died Monday at the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, after testing positive for the virus two days before. Both of them had underlying medical conditions — like virtually every person known to have died of the illness in Oregon.
Statewide, 1,633 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and 55 people have died as of Tuesday evening.
The Oregon Health Authority issues updated numbers each day on the coronavirus pandemic in the state.
Washington deaths surpass 500
As of Monday, Washington had confirmed 516 deaths from the novel coronavirus. The state has 10,538 confirmed cases.
Clark County, Washington, announced one new COVID-19 death on Tuesday, bringing the total dead of the coronavirus there to 15. The county has confirmed 250 cases, an increase of 29 in one day.
Clark County is the most heavily hit county in Southwest Washington.
Oregon won't release people from prison
Oregon's governor said Tuesday she won't release people incarcerated in state prisons over risks surrounding COVID-19.
The decision comes the day after Brown received information she had requested about 2,836 people in the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections that met criteria for possible release.
People inside the state's 14 prisons are at higher risk for contracting COVID-19 because the prisons are more than 95% full and social distancing efforts are extremely challenging. As of Monday, 13 inmates and staff had tested positive for the virus.
Brown has been under intense pressure from the Oregon District Attorneys Association to not release the inmates.
On Monday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced he was releasing nearly 1,000 inmates over COVID-19 risks. Advocates in Washington said it wasn't enough to achieve social distancing.
University of Oregon lays off 282 employees
The University of Oregon is putting 282 campus employees on extended unpaid leave due to revenue losses associated with COVID-19.
As reported in the Register-Guard, UO President Michael Schill announced the cuts in an email Monday morning. He estimated the university has a $25 million revenue loss for spring term.
Schill stated that the 282 affected employees work in campus housing and dining, the recreation center, Erb Memorial Union, access shuttle program or athletics.
Multnomah County Sheriff's Office employee tests positive
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that one of its employees has tested positive for COVID-19.
Officials did not say what the employee's job is, or whether they interacted with the public. The agency did report that the person "is not thought to have significant direct contact with others while at work."
"Public health officials confirm no additional action is needed on our part at this time, and that the exposure likely occurred off duty. The member has been absent for an extended period of time, so risk of transmission is believed to be very low, according to health officials," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
MCSO cited privacy protections as reason for not disclosing more information about the employee.
Attorneys and advocates have sounded the alarm for weeks about the risks of the coronavirus getting into jails and prisons, saying a lack of personal space in those facilities could make them hotspots for the disease.
A Newport seafood business pivots
Like so many restaurants across the state, Local Ocean Seafoods in Newport closed its doors in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the popular restaurant and fish market is trying something new: offering a seafood “Dock Box” for pickup and delivery to keep some of its employees working.
Copyright 2020 Oregon Public Broadcasting
