Some Oregon teachers and students returned to school Friday for what will be their final school day for two weeks, after Gov. Kate Brown ordered a statewide school shutdown that begins Monday. Other districts shut down Friday.

The governor issued the order a day after she banned most other types of large gatherings.

Brown’s escalating actions come as she and other officials try to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, which they believe might infect thousands of people in Oregon.

CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: THE LATEST NEWS

Here is news from Friday, March 13:

4:33 p.m. | Portland Public Schools will serve kids free meals during coronavirus closure

Portland Public Schools on Friday announced 14 schools will serve to-go meals starting March 17. Breakfast and lunch will be provided from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. through March 20 and March 30-31 and will not be served on the weekends or during spring break. Here’s the full list.

2:33 p.m. | Beaverton, Sherwood issue state of emergency declarations

At least two cities in Washington County, which has the highest concentration of coronavirus cases in Oregon, have issued state of emergency declarations to aid in their response to the virus.

1:46 p.m. | Oregon Gov. Kate Brown faults federal coronavirus response as ‘too little, too late’

Faced with questions about her leadership in the unfolding coronavirus crisis, Gov. Kate Brown on Friday sounded a far different tone than she has previously, blaming unfulfilled promises by Vice President Mike Pence and the federal government for Oregon’s shortcomings in testing and medical preparedness.

1:27 p.m. | Portland police limiting in-person calls

The Portland Police Bureau announced Friday that it will no longer dispatch officers to respond to calls -- unless the person seeking help is reporting a “life safety issue.” The new policy is meant to lessen officers’ exposure to the new coronavirus, and to try to increase the chances that large numbers of the force won’t be stricken down by the virus at once. Police say they need to retain the ability to respond to life-threatening emergencies, their number one priority.

1:26 p.m. | Positive coronavirus test at Portland’s tallest building

Someone associated with the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Portland has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to one of the building’s major tenants.

1 p.m. | Oregon and Oregon State cancel all sports team activities

Oregon and Oregon State athletics have canceled all sports team activities through March 29.

12:51 p.m. | 2 coronavirus cases discovered in Southwest Washington care facilities

Clark County public health officials disclosed Friday that two more people in their county had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Both patients are in their 80s and live in long-term care facilities, said Marissa Armstrong, a spokeswoman for the county public health department. Meanwhile, Oregon officials report no new cases in the state, keeping the total at 30.

12:37 p.m. | OMSI, Children’s Museum, Oregon Historical Society, other venues close

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry will close to the public, becoming the first major attraction in the state to close its doors due to the coronavirus outbreak. The closure will begin Saturday, March 14, and last at least through the end of the month. Others also made announcement Friday.

12:26 p.m. | Coronavirus concerns cancel visits to Oregon’s juvenile detention centers

The Oregon Youth Authority on Friday announced all visitation to its juvenile detention centers and other facilities will be canceled, effective Saturday, until further notice to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. The agency said it does not have any known cases of the illness at its facilities.

11:37 a.m. | OSAA suspends spring sports activities through March 31

Following Gov. Brown’s announcement regarding school closures, the Oregon School Activities Association on Friday announced the suspension of all games and practices for spring sports and activities through March 31.

10:56 a.m. | Oregon’s federal delegation asks Trump administration for medical equipment, protective gear

Most of Oregon’s federal delegation has asked the Trump administration for nearly half a million N-95 respirators and a large amount of other medical gear to help the state to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, the delegation said the equipment is needed to meet Oregon’s “growing and unmet needs” as the virus cases increase.

9:54 a.m. | Trump preparing to declare national emergency

President Donald Trump is preparing to declare a national emergency -- otherwise invoke emergency powers -- in response to the coronavirus outbreak, according to two people familiar with the planning who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Trump is expected to make an announcement at noon PDT. Watch live.

9:23 a.m. | How contagious is the new coronavirus? Can you catch it twice?

While the world has launched frantic efforts to stop the spread of the new coronavirus and Oregon’s governor just announced the state’s K-12 schools will soon close for the rest of the month, the question turns once again to just how contagious is COVID-19? If you get it, how long will you be sick? And once recovered, can you catch COVID-19 again? We have answers for some commonly asked questions.

EARLIER CORONAVIRUS UPDATES:

Here are six key developments to know from Thursday about the viral disease and its impact:

PATIENTS: A nursing home that cares for aging veterans in Linn County has emerged as a hotspot of coronavirus in Oregon. State officials disclosed Thursday that six more male residents had tested positive for COVID-19, in addition to the two men who tested positive Wednesday. County officials say the uptick was expected. Public health experts are now trying to prevent the disease from sweeping through the home.

Elsewhere in Oregon, three other people tested positive for coronavirus. The case count now stands at 30.

SCHOOLS: The governor announced her decision to close schools after two Portland area school districts and three high schools said they would shut down. The Portland Public teachers union had also pressed to cancel classes. The statewide shutdown, announced hours later, will last until April 1.

Some districts are completely or partially closed as of Friday. Check our school closures list for complete updates.

OREGON ECONOMY: When Gov. Kate Brown outlined her steps to fight Oregon’s coronavirus outbreak Thursday, Brown said she had two main goals: Protecting Oregonians’ health and protecting their jobs. Her challenge is that those two goals may be mutually exclusive.

TESTS: It remains unclear how quickly and readily tests will be available statewide. The Oregonian/OregonLive contacted a half-dozen of the state’s largest hospital chains, plus their lobbying arm, and found that only one would provide detailed information about how many tests would be available or promise testing capabilities by next week. Three others said they are participating in talks but shared no timeline for starting testing.

PRISONS: The Oregon Department of Corrections suspended visitations at all 14 state prisons starting Friday. The ban covers all personal visits, even those where visitors talk to adults in custody through a glass window.

PLANS: Many event organizers and venues were forced to cancel concerts, shows and conferences after the governor banned large gatherings for one month. Some attractions plan to stay open but announced new measures to keep visitors safe. Places of worship are also adapting to the new restrictions.

Here is a roundup of national and international coronavirus news:

From preschoolers to doctoral candidates, tens of millions of students stayed home on Friday on three continents as schools, playgrounds, bars, restaurants and offices shut down to try and slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, China and other parts of Asia are scrambling to prevent the new coronavirus from coming back to where it first broke out.

President Donald Trump’s administration has also announced it is awarding $1.3 million to two companies trying to develop rapid COVID-19 tests that could detect whether a person is positive for the new coronavirus within an hour.

And stocks are opening higher on Wall Street a day after the worst drop since 1987.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive

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