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.
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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.
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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.”