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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2020)
STATE Saturday, March 21, 2020 East Oregonian A7 CORONAVIRUS Most new cases in single day brings state tally to 114 By SHANE DIXON KAVANAUGH The Oregonian/OregonLive SALEM — The Oregon Health Authority on Fri- day reported more than two dozen new cases of the novel coronavirus across nine counties, bringing the num- ber of confi rmed COVID- 19 patients in the state to 114 as testing dramatically expanded. Residents from Clacka- mas (4), Deschutes (2), Grant (1), Linn (1), Marion (4), Multnomah (5), Union (1), Washington (6) and Yam- hill (2) counties tested posi- tive for the virus in the last 24 hours, state health offi - cials said. During that time, nearly 700 new people were tested for coronavirus — more than double the 300 who underwent tests the previ- ous day, according to fi g- ures published on the health authority’s website. As of a week ago, a total of 524 Oregonians had been tested for the virus. Since then, the availability of state testing outside the Oregon State Public Health Labo- ratory has ramped up sub- stantially, with private labs, such as Quest and LabCorp and hospitals like Providence Health & Services in Port- land increasing capacity. Still, many Oregonians who have exhibited corona- virus symptoms — such as fever, dry cough and trouble breathing — remain unable to be tested because of lim- ited supplies. There are now known coronavirus cases linked to 16 of Oregon’s 36 counties: 31 in Washington County; 19 in Linn County; 17 in Marion County; 12 in Multnomah County; 10 in Clackamas County; eight in Deschutes County; four in Yamhill County; two each in Ben- ton, Jackson, Lane and Uma- tilla counties, and; one each in Douglas, Grant, Klamath, Polk and Union counties. People older than 55 account for 66 of the con- fi rmed cases in Oregon, 34 are between 35 and 54, six are between 25 and 34, four are between 18 and 24 and four others are under 17, state fi gures show. Three people — two men in their 70s and a woman in her 60s — have died from the virus in Oregon. All of them, who have not been publicly identifi ed, had underlying medical conditions, state health offi cials said. In the last day, 674 more people have tested nega- tive for coronavirus, while another 433 are awaiting results, according to the Ore- gon Health Authority. To date, 2,550 people in Oregon have undergone testing, up from 1,854 on Thursday. Oregon drivers get ‘grace period’ Vote by mail saves May primary By MEERAH POWELL Oregon Public Broadcasting SALEM — The Oregon Department of Transporta- tion announced Friday that local law enforcement offi - cers will exercise discre- tion in their enforcement of driver licenses, vehicle regis- trations and trip permits that expire during the COVID-19 state of emergency declared by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. The Oregon State Police, Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police and Ore- gon State Sheriffs’ Associa- tion have all agreed to sup- port this “grace period” for enforcing any expired vehi- cle documentation, accord- ing to ODOT. “During this current pub- lic health emergency, times are hard enough,” Oregon State Police Superinten- dent Travis Hampton said in a statement. “The added stress of driving without a valid license or registration is one barrier we can elimi- nate. Our mission is to pro- tect, not unnecessarily penal- ize, Oregonians.” The grace period is in place to reduce the need for Oregonians to visit a DMV offi ce during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Although Oregon DMV offi ces mostly remain open, they are following guide- By JEFF MAPES Oregon Public Broadcasting Staff photo by Jade McDowell Although Oregon DMV offi ces, such as the offi ce in Hermis- ton, mostly remain open, they are following guidelines, in- cluding restricting customers in offi ces to 10 people or fewer at a time. Some offi ces may also need to close due to staffi ng shortages, according to the Oregon Department of Trans- portation. lines, including restricting customers in offi ces to 10 people or fewer at a time. Some offi ces may also need to close due to staffi ng short- ages, according to ODOT. Therefore, all Orego- nians should be calling their local offi ces ahead of time if they are planning to visit the DMV. This grace period is espe- cially helpful for people liv- ing in the Portland metro area and in Medford, where vehicles must be inspected by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality before renewing registration. The Oregon DEQ has sus- pended vehicle emissions testing, ODOT said, so peo- ple in those areas are not currently able to renew their vehicle registrations. Most other Oregonians can still renew vehicle reg- istration through the mail or online. “Even if your tags just expired, you can renew online and print the receipt to take in your car as proof of registration,” ODOT said. Many other DMV ser- vices are available online through the DMV’s website and through mail. SALEM — While some states are postponing their primary elections, Ore- gon Secretary of State Bev Clarno announced on Thursday that the state’s May 19 primary will pro- ceed as scheduled. “Because Oregon votes by mail we do not have to be concerned about social distancing issues at polling places that so many other states are struggling with,” Clarno’s offi ce said in a statement. At least fi ve states have delayed primaries because of the coronavirus pan- demic. Those states — Georgia, Connecticut, Ohio, Louisiana and Ken- tucky — all rely heavily on Election Day voting at poll- ing places. That means mil- lions of would-be voters, as well as often elderly elec- tion workers, could face health risks and contribute to the spread of the disease. Marion County Clerk Bill Burgess, president of the association that rep- resents local election offi - cials in Oregon, said the epidemic will require changes in staffi ng and pro- cedures to protect workers. He said this could slow the release of voting results on election night. Mail voting is gaining a Eviction moratorium, REAL ID extension Associated Press SALEM — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Fri- day that during the corona- virus outbreak she wants a statewide eviction morato- rium, to suspend enforce- ment on expired automo- bile tabs and driver licenses and has asked the federal government for a one-year extension for compliance to the REAL ID act. She also said during a media briefi ng that she was not at this time enacting more stringent social dis- tancing requirements like those imposed by Cali- fornia and New York this week. Brown has already ordered a six-week state- wide school closure, a ban on gatherings of more than 25 people and shutdown of bar and restaurant oper- ations other than takeout and delivery for at least four weeks. MSRP $30,150. $279/mo lease available for 36 months. 10,000 miles/year. $20,006 cap cost. $2,999 down payment due at signing plus tax, title and $75 dealer doc fee. Does not include college and military rebates. No security deposit required. On approved credit. See dealer for details. Offer expires 3/31/20. stk# 20H381. Plus tax, title and $75 dealer doc fee. Does not include college and military rebates. No security deposit required. On approved credit. See dealer for details. Offer expires 3/31/20. new fl urry of support as a result of the pandemic. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, who has pushed for years for the national adoption of all-mail balloting, is now sponsoring a bill requir- ing all voters to be offered the option to receive a bal- lot by mail in November. The measure would pro- vide $500 million to states to help them do so. Oregonians have until April 28 to register to vote. That’s the same deadline for changing their party registration. In Oregon, only registered Democrats or Republicans can vote in their respective primaries. For more information, go to Oregonvotes.org. stk# 20H355. Plus tax, title and $75 dealer doc fee. Does not include college and military rebates. No security deposit required. On approved credit. See dealer for details. Offer expires 3/31/20. Brown did, however, say she was evaluating the situation daily. “For me, the bottom line is that if there is evi- dence that Oregonians are not complying with the aggressive measures in place I will have to take more aggressive action,” she said. “I am encourag- ing and urging Oregonians to stay home. I want to say don’t travel for spring break, stay home.”
