Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus has threatened our ability to keep Portland up to speed on the latest news, music, arts, food, and other local goings-on. Mercury. If you’re able, please consider donating to the Mercury. Stay up to date on Portland news and politics.

GettyImages-1212583867.jpg
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Good morning, Portland. I’ve typed and re-typed this sentence too many times trying to find the right words to summarize the state of the world/news at this exact moment. It’s… a lot. I’m going to instead spend my time helping you cut through the chaos of coverage and find the news you (we) need to navigate this uncertain new week.

BUT FIRST, we want to update you on the Mercury‘s present and future. Like most small businesses, we’ve been hit hard by the economic fallout of the coronavirus. On Friday, our Editor-in-Chief Wm. Steven Humphrey made the heartbreaking decision to temporarily layoff 10 of our 18 employees and temporarily go online-only. If you’d like the see the Mercury stick around, please consider tossing a donation in our direction. We love you. In the words of Humphrey: “Anything will help, and we know that you’ll do what you can, because we do our best for you.”

COVID-19 Updates:

The first Oregonian has died from the coronavirus. The 70-year-old man had underlying health condition that allegedly aided the the viruses’ spread.

Washington, Ohio, Illinois, and Massachusetts have required all bars and restaurants shut down (allowing restaurants to still offer take-out service). New York City has done the same. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is expected to release a similarly restrictive statewide plan at a 10 am press conference.

The coronavirus has already forced hundreds of Portland-area restaurants and businesses to close. Yesterday, Powell’s Books announced it would be shuttering its five locations until April—same goes for most movie theaters and music venues.

How is the coronavirus impacting your business or daily life? Drop us a line at news@portlandmercury.com

On Sunday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people for the next two months.

Two emergency room doctors in Washington have tested positive for COVID-19, despite taking necessary measures to protect themselves with medical masks, gloves, and other gear. One of the doctors, a man in his 40s, is in “critical condition.”

Stock trading was forced to pause this morning (the third time in three weeks) after stock prices plummeted minutes into the markets opening, a day after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to nearly zero.

A guy hoarding 17,700 hand sanitizers to sell at inflated prices (who was profiled by the New York Times) was so deeply shamed by the public that he decided to donate his entire supply.

A warning from Italy.

Here’s a fascinating interactive graph that shows which jobs put people at the highest risk of exposure to socially-transmitted viruses.

Trump has tested negative for COVD-19. Here’s a review of how many times he played down the severity of crisis.

A message from Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Non-Coronavirus News:

There was a presidential Democratic debate last night between two elderly white men. Former VP Joe Biden said he’d chose a woman as his running mate and Sen. Bernie Sanders used the spread of COVID-19 to push his Medicare for All platform.

A telescope has discovered a planet where it appears to rain molten iron. So, things could be worse.

And remember:

Alex Zielinski is a former News Editor for the Portland Mercury. She's here to tell stories about economic inequities, cops, civil rights, and weird city politics that you should probably be paying attention...