As the 2020–2021 school year approaches, the longer-term repercussions of the nation’s failure to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic are starting to become painfully apparent.
Tag: COVID-19 Update
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 for short) is an infectious disease caused by SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV‑2). It is a respiratory illness that is currently spreading around the world, including in the Pacific Northwest. Scientists and public health authorities around the globe are racing to learn more about the disease, identify people who may be sick with it, and test/develop antiviral drugs to combat it. The populations most susceptible to becoming critically ill from COVID-19 are the very young and the very advanced in age (young children and seniors). We are tracking the disease and the public health response to it in our special series COVID-19 Update. You’ll find an archive of installments from this series below.
COVID-19 Update: Business, social activities restricted as region struggles to combat virus
The Pacific Northwest is trying to determine the best combination of restrictions to slow the spread of SARS-CoV‑2 without going back to a full scale lockdown.
COVID-19 Update: Governor Jay Inslee’s emergency powers affirmed by federal judge
While new cases of COVID-19 proliferate, the right wing continues to hamper efforts to fight the virus, despite losing a major legal challenge.
COVID-19 Update: Rolling, rolling, rolling…
The Pacific Northwest faces increased rate of infection from the pandemic and considers its options.
COVID-19 Update: Pacific Northwest embraces mandatory mask directives
As British Columbia makes additional moves to reopen its economy, Washington has mandated the wearing of masks in public and Oregon has completed a special legislative session focusing on COVID-19 and police reform.
COVID-19 Update: States grapple with rise in new coronavirus cases in rural communities
Seeking to avoid squandering the hard won progress of the spring, Pacific Northwest governors and public health officials are exhorting and even ordering their constituents to wear masks.
COVID-19 Update: Districts accelerate their planning for the 2020–2021 school year
A return to in-person classroom learning is being contemplated by school administrators across the region, but students and faculty will need to observe physical distancing protocols.
COVID-19 Update: Food, transparency, and the fallout in our hardest hit communities
Food processing facilities remain a primary coronavirus outbreak nexus. We look at the fallout in that industry and highlight two areas within the Pacific Northwest hard hit by the pandemic in this installment of COVID-19 Update.
The Pandemic is Personal: Nadine Brumbaugh on giving up her massage therapy practice
A longtime massage therapist writes about what it’s like when you have to leave your career, which you love, for the sake of your patients.
COVID-19 Update: Pacific Northwest states gingerly move forward with reopening plans
Pacific Northwestern states are moving towards reopening their economies at different speeds. Idaho is on the fastest track, followed by Oregon, and then Washington.
COVID-19 Update: Food, fraud, the homeless, strikes, the courts and miscalculations
In Washington, food processing plants are becoming hotspots for both disease and dissatisfaction, Oregon’s Supreme Court has told a circuit court judge to explain at length why he thinks Governor Brown overstepped her authority, and Idaho is implementing a new plan for testing and tracking.
COVID-19 Update: Illegal openings, legal confusion and questionable tests
Two gyms were given cease and desist orders in Washington State, while Oregon’s stay at home order is under review by the state’s Supreme Court, and a test used in Eastern Idaho is being questioned as to its accuracy.
COVID-19 Update: New mask requirements, threats, lawsuits, and antibody tests
King County has announced new mask-wearing requirements, while the religious right in Oregon has joined militant Republicans in Washington in launching legal maneuvers against stay at home orders.
COVID-19 Update: Elected officials call for testing, tracing, and mitigation
Both Governors of Washington and Oregon have extended their stay at home orders, and both have unveiled plans for reopening their states in conjunction with plans for testing, tracing and mitigation.