Credit: Dmitri Otis / Getty
Oregonians temporarily allowed to pump their own gas.
Oregonians temporarily allowed to pump their own gas. Dimitri Otis / Getty Images

Here’s your daily roundup of all the local and national news about COVID-19. (Like our coverage? Please consider donating to the Mercury to keep it comin’!)

• Happy Saturday everyone! Special shoutout to those who are just doing the best they can. We see you, and we’re rooting for you! Need a quick cheer up? Check out these funny and sweet tweets we’ve curated just for you, designed to make you laugh and smile!

• The governor’s office, in association with Wieden+Kennedy and OHA, have put together an ad campaign designed to inspire you to support essential workers and STAY THE EFF INSIDE. (My words, not Kate Brown’s.) Give it a look, and download a poster!

• Yesterday’s confirmed coronavirus cases in Oregon was 414—today it has jumped to 479. There are now 13 reported deaths caused by COVID-19.

• REMINDER: According to a new study, if Oregonians stay home like we’re supposed to, our hospitals will be able to handle the upcoming surge of COVID-19 cases. So again… STAY THE EFF HOME! (I’m going to make this into a poster.)

• Hey non-essential businesses who refuse to close and are keeping your employees in danger! THE STATE IS COMING FOR YOU. And when they do, WE (the press) ARE GOING TO PUBLICLY SHAME THE SHIT OUT OF YOU.

• For some reason, this made my jaw drop: Oregon will temporarily allow you to pump your own gas. I DO NOT REMEMBER HOWWWWWWWWW!

• Here’s something a lot of people were wondering: With the rash of layoffs at Metro, who’s left to take care of the animals at the Oregon Zoo? I called the zoo’s director who provided that info.

• Gov. Brown provided the necessary info that Oregon’s homeless population is not subject to the “stay indoors” order, and will not be prosecuted or harassed. Our Alex Zielinski has more.

• Nordstrom, the largest employer of tailors in North America, is going to <a href=”<a href=”https://press.nordstrom.com/news-releases/news-release-details/working-together-our-communities””sew more than 100,000 masks for health care workers.

IN NATIONAL NEWS:

• FDA approves a 15-minute coronavirus test.

• “At least 17 states have more than 1,000 known cases… All across the country, numbers are rising quickly as containment efforts falter.”

• President Trump, without really explaining the reasoning behind it, is threatening to enforce a quarantine on New York, New Jersey, and parts of Connecticut. We’ll assume this is just another lie, until we hear otherwise. UPDATE: YUP, JUST ANOTHER LIE. (Just throw in the pile with the others.)

• Never forget:

• Also never forget:

• Also, also never forget: “Thomas Massie is a monster Republicans created.”

• So did Amazon’s Jeff Bezos just get lucky, or what? Headline: Jeff Bezos sold $3.4bn of Amazon stock just before Covid-19 collapse.

• Health experts are starting to reconsider face masks for healthy essential workers, saying that maybe they should wear them. (Of course, there’s not nearly enough for them, sooooooo… maybe do your part my making and donating some? Here’s some instructions how!)

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada says his country will ban passengers from planes and trains who are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.

• More cheer up news! Have you listened to Dua Lipa’s new “Future Nostalgia” album? GUYS, IT’S SO GREAT! Check out my review of this perfect dollop of pop gold that’s just the thing to soothe your COVID-19 malaise. You can also stream it here!

• Yes, you’re stuck at home, but now you can see the world—including virtual tours of Hawai’i volcanoes, the Great Wall of China, and more—with this great roundup from the Mercury that will help you escape safely!

• Need even MORE fun stuff to do while quarantined? Check out our very creative list of “The Best Things to Do (While Staying Home and Staying Safe) in Portland This Weekend: March 27-29.”

• And finally… DON’T WORRY, LIKE OUR LIVES, IT WILL ALL TURN OUT OKAY!

Bang bang, choo-choo train, let me see you shake that thang. Wm. Steven Humphrey is the editor-in-chief of the Portland Mercury and has held the job since 2000. (So don’t get any funny ideas.)

One reply on “Saturday’s Coronavirus News Roundup: There’s Hope (If We Stay Home), More Trump Blunders, and We Can Pump Our Gas Again (But I Forgot How!)”

  1. So, at a time when we should be limiting contact with shared surfaces they’d rather 1000 Oregonians share the same gas pump every day? I feel less confident in my neighbor’s willingness to clean the gas handle, keypad, etc than 1-4 trained, paid gas attendants. This is backasswards in every way.

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