Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty
Hey dummy, when we need your help well ask for it.
“Hey dummy, when we need your help we’ll ask for it.” Chip Somodevilla / Staff / Getty

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’!)

• As of yesterday, Oregon had 1,321 positive COVID-19 cases (that we know of), and a total of 44 deaths. Today (Fri April 10) the number of cases has risen by 50 cases to 1,371, and a total of 48 deaths. Still, compare that to the rates in Alabama, a state that was slow to put social distancing orders in place and was even with us two weeks ago: They now have more than twice as many cases. SOCIAL DISTANCING WORKS, DON’T LET LYING REPUBLICANS TELL YOU OTHERWISE.

• Good news for local renters: Multnomah County’s ban on evictions has been increased by three months. Our Alex Zielinski has the details.

• Oregon employs an estimated 74,000 undocumented workers—which is why an immigrant rights group is calling for these people to receive unemployment benefits during the crisis. Once again, Alex Zee has more.

• Next week, the City of Portland will be opening three organized and sanctioned camps for houseless people caught in the coronavirus crisis. This unprecedented move also includes special provisions for LGBTQ and POC persons at two of the three locations, with the third featuring an emphasis on the elderly.

• Former Malheur Wildlife Refuge militia member (or “terrorist” if you want to put a finer point on it) Ammon Bundy is continuing his ill-advised pushback against social distancing guidelines by announcing his plans to hold an Easter Sunday service numbering in the hundreds of people. “We are not trying to provoke, we want people to be able to worship,” he said, as if “worship” isn’t a thing you can do inside your own house any time you want without potentially infecting people with a deadly disease. Wm. Steven Humphrey has the full story.

• Oregon will be injecting an extra $60 million into the food stamp program over the next two months.

• OSHA says that while Oregon workers don’t technically have a right to wear masks while on the job, and they can’t require employers to make their employees mask up, it’d be “foolish” not to allow them to do so right now.

• Here’s today’s “SHEESH!” headline for you: “Portland homeowner sues tenant over volunteering during coronavirus, claims exposure risk.”

• Good news for low-income individuals living around Seattle, Washington: On Friday morning, King County announced they will help pay April rent for people making up to 50% of the area median income who “are economically impacted by COVID-19” and who fell behind on rent.

IN NATIONAL NEWS:

• The confirmed global death toll from COVID-19 has passed 100,000.

• Good news: A comprehensive plan to fight the coronavirus pandemic is solidifying as you read this. Better news: That plan is not going through the compromised, politicized, and mostly incoherent “leadership” at the White House. Instead, the way forward is being charted by a coalition of state governors, disease specialists, nonprofits, and former govt. officials.

• So, okay: how long before Americans actually can travel again? Nobody really knows, but this Los Angeles Times roundup of experts seems to point toward 2021 as the most likely answer.

• VERY IMPORTANT: If social distancing methods are relaxed within a month (as that dumb dummy Trump suggests), experts say we’ll quickly find ourselves back in the same (or even worse) situation we are now.

• Meanwhile, pollution is severely decreased in many locked-down regions of the world. India’s atmosphere is one of the most striking transformations (you can normally taste the sky in New Delhi) but earlier this week Los Angeles was rated by IQAir’s live air-quality rankings as having cleaner air than Portland.

• Remember yesterday, when the alarm was very loudly sounded as to just how fragile the US Postal Service’s existence currently is?

• In sports (or what’s left of it), looks like COVID-19 has led to the death the XFL. (Again.)

• If you’re looking for a pant-load of funny stuff to brighten up your day, look no further than the daily Mercury Cheer Up Club!

• And if you’re looking for a fun AND FASHIONABLE way to support the Mercury, how about buying a Mercury “TP” T-shirt?

• And finally, you don’t have to be the safest dad to be the best dad.