The news moves quickly these days, so the Daily Emerald is summarizing the week’s COVID-19 updates. See what you missed:
Lane County Public Health Updates
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lane County remains at 66, Lane County Public Health spokesperson Jason Davis said at the Thursday LCPH press briefing. That case number has not changed since last Friday, Davis said.
LCPH has administered over 10,000 tests, Davis said. Two individuals are resting at home with the coronavirus, according to the Lane County Government’s website. 63 cases in Lane County have recovered from COVID-19.
May 28
80,000 COVID-19-related news stories were produced a day during April, according to a Chartbeat analysis. University of Oregon students reflected on their consumption of Coronavirus news during spring term, including fatigue and their desire for more positive stories.
Lane County could begin phase two of reopening by June 5, at the earliest, according to Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch at the Thursday LCPH briefing. Phase two reopening includes expanding gathering sizes, allowing some optional increased office work and allowing limited visitation to nursing homes, according to the Oregon government website.
May 27
Facilities Management teams continue to follow up on projects and maintain cleanliness standards on campus. Staff focus on cleaning high touch points — handrails and elevator buttons — while also taking advantage of the emptiness of the UO campus to work on projects like pressure washing.
The UO Voluntary Summer Work Share Program offers employees, upon approval, to take one day off each week over the summer, according to UO’s Human Resources website. Workers will also receive unemployment insurance payments on top of their UO paycheck, the website states, upon approval of their application and consultation with their respective supervisor.
May 26
Three months into social isolation, UO students reflected on which activities they miss most, including dance studios, movie theaters and art museums reopening.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s executive order for higher education expires on June 13. UO Chief resilience Officer André LeDuc outlined the university’s “slow and measured approach” for resuming some on-campus functions in a May 26 memo.
The university will prioritize activities that require on-campus access, LeDuc said in the memo. Departments will develop plans that divide their services and functions into those who need on-campus access, those who will need on-campus access on a periodical basis and those who can continue to work from home.
May 25
The PeaceHealth bike share program will end on June 1, according to a joint statement from PeaceHealth and the City of Eugene. The 300 bicycles, as well as other assets, will be transferred to the city.
“Although we are surprised and disappointed by this development, we remain committed to bike share and look forward to working with our community partners to identify an alternative bike share solution,” PeaceHealth Oregon Chief Executive Mary Kingston said in the joint statement.
May 22
The Lane County community continues to seek new ways to celebrate Bike Month, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their other means of celebration include self-guided rides and how-to videos, with the City of Eugene Transportation team hosting live streams each Tuesday, focusing on biking-related topics.
UO’s fall schedule will be released on June 1, the day before registration opens, the university announced. The university encouraged students to contact their academic advisors for guidance, but noted that advisors will not have access to class schedules ahead of June 1. Registration will be open from June 2-5 and June 8-11, the university stated, with no registration over the weekend.
Hans Boyle, Makenzie Elliott, Carrington Powell and Isabel Lemus Kristensen contributed to the reporting in this story.
