onfocus

"The Oregon Health Authority had recommended against closing campuses where cases of COVID-19 are not present. But Oregon has conducted limited testing for the virus, creating a misleading picture of the virus’s community spread. Not everyone who has wanted to be tested has been."

The right call.

Oregon is between two known outbreak locations but can’t determine if it also has an outbreak:

"The state lab had just 130 tests remaining as of Monday night, according to an agency spokesman. That translates to about 65 people, given that it takes about two tests per person to diagnose the disease."

In the absence of accurate information I think state officials should assume the worst to protect people. Currently they’re using lack of known cases to justify their decisions.

Oregon students will not be staying home:

Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill: “Keeping schools open is the best option for our state and, most importantly, for our students. Our safety efforts should focus on practicing good hygiene, staying home when we are not feeling well, and cleaning surfaces in our schools. We can all play a part with these simple steps to protect ourselves and our friends, classmates and community.”

It sounds like the justification is that there are no existing cases. We also have a very low testing capacity in Oregon right now, so.

This is a difficult article to read because it’s about a massive failure, but it’s important to face the truth of where we are. This was especially surprising:

"Oregon, situated between the California and Washington hotspots, can test only about 40 people a day."

We have some catching up to do:

"Today, more than a week after the country’s first case of community transmission, the most significant finding about the coronavirus’s spread in the United States has come from an independent genetic study, not from field data collected by the government. And no state or city has banned large gatherings or implemented the type of aggressive “social distancing” policies employed to battle the virus in Italy, Hong Kong, and other affluent places."

So this is happening in my state.

"According to the most current available estimates from the Census Bureau, for 2014 through 2019, the 11 Republicans who walked out represent just 36% of Oregon’s population."

The current rules do not account for a rogue party that does not believe in the rule of law.

"[$50 billion] sounds like a lot, but it could be a bargain compared to adding a lane to I-5, the current north-south corridor linking the megaregion."

Co-signed!