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Oregon coronavirus updates May 29: Guidelines released for Phase 2 of reopening

As COVID-19 continues to impact Oregon and Southwest Washington, get the latest updates here.

Cases of COVID-19, a new strain of coronavirus, began popping up in the United States in January. The first case in Oregon was reported on Feb. 28.

We post a new blog post every day that tracks the daily changes in Oregon and Southwest Washington as we get them. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST UPDATES

BY THE NUMBERS

As of Friday night:

REAL-TIME UPDATES

9:15 p.m.

  • The Oregon Health Authority is investigating a coronavirus outbreak believed to be connected to a fruit packing company in Hood River. Officials said an outbreak involving at least six people has been connected to Duckwall Fruit. Learn more

6:50 p.m.

  • For the fourth time in five days, the Oregon Health Authority reported no new coronavirus-related deaths. The state’s death toll remains at 151. Learn more
  • Business across Washington County will spend this weekend getting ready to open again on Monday as the county enters Phase 1 of the gradual reopening plan put into place by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. Learn more
  • Clark County's Phase 2 application was put on hold after 85 people connected with Firestone Pacific Foods tested positive for coronavirus; 70 were workers, the other 15 close contacts. Meanwhile, many businesses are left waiting for the green light. Learn more

4:05 p.m.

  • Gov. Brown announced that Oregon will invest $30 million in COVID-19 relief funding to protect essential agricultural workers and help secure the state’s food supply. Learn more

2:20 p.m.

  • Oregon Gov. Kate Brown sent out a letter to county leaders outlining the prerequisites counties must meet in order to enter the second phase of the state's reopening plan. Learn more
  • President Donald Trump announced Friday he would withdraw funding from the World Health Organization. Trump has been expressing anger at the World Health Organization for weeks over what he has portrayed as an inadequate response to the initial outbreak of the coronavirus in China’s Wuhan province late last year. Learn more
  • A CDC study says the coronavirus epidemic arrived during a three-week window from mid-January to early February. Public health researchers said that anyone in the U.S. who thought maybe they had COVID-19 in December or early January probably had the flu. Learn more

7:00 a.m.

  • A COVID-19 outbreak infecting 48 workers at Townsend Farms locations in Washington and Multnomah counties has drawn attention to health concerns surrounding seasonal farmworkers. Learn more
  • The Oregon Health Authority will report all past and future outbreaks that involve five or more coronavirus cases in a workplace setting. The change comes after the state public health agency was heavily criticized for not identifying Townsend Farms as the business connected to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Portland area. Learn more
  • Months into the pandemic, and the historic layoffs that accompanied it, many people are still frustrated and running out of options as they try to get their unemployment benefits in Oregon. Nearly half of the unemployment claims still have to be paid out and tens of thousands are backlogged. Learn more
  • The state approved Washington County to enter the first phase of reopening on Monday, June 1. The only county that hasn't been approved for Phase 1 is Multnomah. Learn more

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

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