The news moves quickly these days, so the Daily Emerald is summarizing the week’s COVID-19 updates. See what you missed:

Thursday, April 16

The University of Oregon Police Department’s program Vacation Watch will continue until June 12, UO announced via email Thursday afternoon. UO students can sign up for Vacation Watch on UOPD’s website.
The Oregon Employment Department received 53,800 initial unemployment claims last week, according to an OED press release. The OED received around 296,800 initial claims in the past four weeks, more than any period in history. 

The OED paid $97 million in benefits to Oregonians between April 5-11 — four times as much as the previous week.

Lane County Public Health announced one new case of COVID-19 in the county.

For all of the new COVID-19 cases in Lane County this week, see the bottom of this story.

The five Lane County individuals currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 are not on ventilators, LCPH spokesperson Jason Davis said, and 35% of cases within the county have recovered.

Eugene community bars continue to cope with the financial burden related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some bars adjusted their services to takeout and delivery, while other bars chose to close for the foreseeable future. 

Wednesday, April 15

UO announced its partnership with McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center on Wednesday via email. The two entities work together to test patients for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to the email.

“Access to fast, accurate testing is vital to slowing the spread of the coronavirus in the southern Willamette Valley and throughout Oregon,” Provost Patrick Phillips said in the email.

“The UO provided a testing machine, scientific equipment and expertise from genomic researchers to assist in setting up the lab,” the email said. The COVID-19 testing lab is based in McKenzie-Willamette in Springfield, according to Around the O. Initial testing began April 15, with expanded testing capacity expected over the next few weeks, the email said.

LCPH is working with Centro Latino Americano, a nonprofit organization in Lane County, to ensure that communities of color receive the care and help they need during the COVID-19 pandemic, Davis said.

Eugene’s YMCA partnered with local schools to provide free childcare for emergency and essential workers. The program will care for children between the ages of six weeks and 12 years.

Tuesday, April 14

All summer term classes at the University of Oregon will be held online, Provost Phillips announced via email on Monday. 

“While we know that the decision to continue remote instruction through the summer will be disappointing to some, our intent is to make decisions that are in the best interest of the community and the University of Oregon, and to communicate them in a timely manner,” Phillips said in the email. He said he hoped that the announcement would allow the UO community to plan ahead for summer term.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown explained the requirements needed to resume business as usual for the state at a remote press conference on Tuesday. 

Those requirements included having adequate personal protective equipment, an increased test capacity, developing a robust system for contact tracing and creating an effective quarantine and isolation program for people who test positive for the coronavirus.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Brown said. “And it’s going to take longer than we want.”

Dr. Jim McGovern, vice president for medical affairs with PeaceHealth Oregon, said PeaceHealth is prepared to care for patients of COVID-19 beyond projected numbers at the LCPH press conference. McGovern thanked the community for their contribution to flattening the curve through social distancing.
Spring and summer abroad programs have been disrupted due to COVID-19, and students are still adjusting. Cancellations include the annual media in Ghana trip, impacting students financially planning for the program.

Monday, April 13

The University of Oregon will also cut off pay for 282 staff members, responding to its projected net revenue loss of $25 million, President Michael Schill announced via email on Monday. That cut impacts classified staff and officers of administration employee groups, according to UO spokesperson Kay Jarvis.

“This is not our first challenge, nor will it be our last,” Schill said in the email. “We are discussing with each of our employee groups and unions contingencies for responding to the COVID-19 crisis that would further allow the university to reduce operating expenses and protect as many jobs as possible should that become necessary.”

Dr. Patrick Luedke, the senior public health officer for Lane County Public Health, outlined requirements for Lane County to return to business-as-usual at Monday’s LCPH news briefing. Those requirements include:

• Diseases, either infections or deaths, decrease over the course of two incubation periods, about 28 days

• Increased local testing capacity

• Increased contact tracing resources

• Sufficient personal protective equipment 

• A plan for the healthcare community to scale back up if there was a second wave of COVID-19

• A greater statewide view of COVID-19, including alignment with Oregon Health Authority

“Those of you who have been watching the numbers very closely know that we’ve hit a relatively stable period — a couple cases a day, a sort of plateau. And we hope to stay there and slowly decrease,” Luedke said.

Many local businesses continue to struggle with the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some businesses remain open during this time, temporary furloughs affect the employees. Restaurants like Track Town Pizza and stores like Hirons reported significant sales losses. Both Hirons and Track Town Pizza said they refuse to cut pay for workers.

Friday, April 10

UO researchers and labs donated thousands of masks and other PPE to LCPH, UO announced on Monday via email. LCPH planned to distribute the masks to medical professionals, according to Around the O, with the majority of supplies expected to be delivered to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center and McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.

The University of Oregon expects to receive around $16 million in aid from the federal government from the CARES Act, but it’s still unclear when the money will arrive, and it still won’t cover everything.

April 13 - five new cases, total 43

• Eugene-Springfield female in her 50s, described as medically stable at home, according to the LCPH press release. The case was an example of household transmission, according to the release.

April 14 - one new case, total 44

• Eugene-Springfield male in his 50s, who was hospitalized at the time of announcement, according to the LCPH press release.

April 15 - one new case, total 45

• Eugene-Springfield female in her 50s, described as medically stable in her home, according to the LCPH press release.

April 16 - one new case, total 46

• Eugene-Springfield female in her 50s, described as medically stable and at home, according to the LCPH press release. The case was an example of household transmission, according to the release.

Carrington Powell, Zack Demars, C. Francis O’Leary, Makenzie Elliott and Jack Forrest contributed to this story.