Murmurs: Governor Doesn’t Have COVID-19

GOVERNOR DOESN'T HAVE COVID-19: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has tested negative for the coronavirus, her office says. On the morning of March 30, Brown had a cough and a raspy voice during a video conference call with media, and several outlets inquired about her health. The governor's personal physician tested her for the virus that afternoon. "That test came back negative," says Brown's spokesman Charles Boyle. He says she's staying home anyway: "Her last public appearance was on Friday, March 20. The governor has been at home since she first exhibited symptoms of a cold, and prior to that was only working in person with a limited number of staff."

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER: Oregon schools may not reopen before summer break, Oregon Department of Education officials said March 30 as they advised schools to prepare to educate students at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. That's an about-face since last week when the agency directed virtual charter schools to shut down. "We now have a moral imperative to meet the changing nature of the pandemic and evolve our approach to serving our children," writes Colt Gill, director of ODE and deputy superintendent of public instruction. "We also foresee the strong possibility that our students may not come back through our schoolhouse doors this academic year."

GROCERY WORKERS FLOOD STATE WITH COMPLAINTS: Over three dozen COVID-19-related complaints have been lodged against Oregon grocery store chains since March 2 with the Oregon Occupational Safety & Health, also known as OSHA. On March 20, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 announced these workers have been designated as "first responders," granting them additional protections ("Dawn of the Fred," WW, March 25, 2020). But in the days following that announcement, complaints from grocery workers flooded OSHA. The complaints include a range of retailers—Costco, Fred Meyer, Safeway and WinCo—and center on a lack of personal protective equipment, an inability to maintain 6 feet between employees, and poor sanitation practices.

IDAHO FOLLOWS THE OREGON TRAIL: It took a COVID-19 pandemic, but the state of Idaho will conduct its first-ever vote-by-mail-only election in May. Because of a lack of election workers and the health risks of going to polling places, our more conservative neighbor will follow a two-decade Oregon tradition, with one significant difference: Voters must still request their ballots, not receive them automatically. "While the coronavirus situation may change how we practice our right to vote in this primary election, it is important to keep our election dates in place," Gov. Brad Little said in a statement reported by the Idaho Statesman.

NO CAP AND GOWNS AT PSU: Portland State University announced last week that because of the health risks of large gatherings, it has shifted graduation ceremonies online. That infuriated Elana Goldman, a PSU senior who started one of several online petitions that have gathered more than 1,000 signatures. "We will not stand with the fact that PSU has no intention of rescheduling our graduation, with no clear input from graduating students themselves or faculty," Goldman's petition says. "They have instead made it clear that this decision would be made for us, not with us." PSU issued a statement in response to such concerns: " We are not able to postpone commencement mainly because it is not possible to know how long coronavirus restrictions will last, which puts any future bookings of large venues in doubt."