Mayor Ted Wheeler on Portlands state of emergency this afternoon.
Mayor Ted Wheeler on Portland's state of emergency this afternoon. Mercury Staff

Here are your latest local and national COVID-19 updates... now, let's get informed!

• At a press conference today, Mayor Ted Wheeler said that Portland's state of emergency would be extended by two weeks (it can only be extended two weeks at a time), and according to our Alex Zielinski, the mayor has been told by public health experts that "COVID-19’s expected to peak in Oregon during the first two weeks of April."

• ICYMI: Gov. Kate Brown has finally dropped her executive order that's intended to legally enforce social distancing rules in Oregon. In a nutshell, the "stay at home" order forbids non-essential gatherings of ANY size (though individual jogging/walks outside the home are okay), and allows certain businesses to remain open if they are able to provide distancing measures such as curbside service (hair stylists, yoga studios, theaters, malls, and more are poop out of luck—restaurants and bars that provide takeout, grocery stores, pharmacies are okay for now). Our Alex Zielinski has all the details and what this will mean for you.

• Today's count of positive COVID-19 cases in Oregon (that we know of) has jumped from 191 to 209, while the presumed death toll has risen from five to eight people deceased.

• Gov. Brown's Stay At Home executive order doesn't apply to the Portland Bureau of Transportation's enforcement crews, according to Portland Bureau of Transportation spokesman John Brady.

• Multnomah County is asking their employees to volunteer at shelters and other potentially unsafe places. Needless to say, these workers are torn about that. Our Blair Stenvick reports!

• You want to get outside, but you're unsure of how to behave in Portland's parks? READ THIS PRIMER, and then get out there!

• Here's another great reason to support your local grocery store workers, and BE NICE, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE. Seriously, is it really that hard?

IN NATIONAL NEWS:

• During a virtual news conference on Monday, the World Health Organization's chief warned that "the pandemic is accelerating."

• New York's infection rate reflects that analysis, with the state accounting for six-percent of global cases, at a rate that's doubling every three days.

• The president's inclination was to vow the "reopening" of America by Easter, stating "Our country was not built to be shut down," and "We are going to get it all going again very soon." In other words:


• While many people are flat-out rejecting the president's suggestion, Liberty University's president Jerry Falwell, Jr. is telling students to come back to campus, and ordering staff to report to work.

• That suggestion looks even more reckless than it actually is when compared to India declaring the world's largest stay-at-home order, mandating 1.3 billion people stay home for the next 21 days.

• The president's off-the-cuff suggestions about potential COVID-19 treatments spurred an Arizona couple to ingest fish tank cleaner because it contained the ingredients he'd been promoting as "effective."

• Officials in Texas and Ohio see coronavirus as an opportunity to impinge on women's bodily rights, putting abortions on a list of "nonessential" medical procedures that must be delayed.

• Internet Service Providers are reporting a huge increase in usage as millions shift to working from home. Some providers are suspending data caps and waiving fees, and a pledge to "Keep Americans Connected" was introduced by the FCC, but serious discussions to make the internet a public utility haven't occurred as of yet.

• Related: YouTube is going to default all their videos to standard definition for the next month, although users can manually switch the resolution to HD if they care that much.

• After reading all that mostly bad news, are you feeling uptight? Then get relaxed and healthy with our list of Portland yoga studio classes that you can take online at home!

• Like these updates and other Mercury coverage? That's great, we're happy to do them, AND they are a lot of work. Support our efforts and reporting by donating to the Mercury, please! THANKS, YOU ARE COOL!