Eugene, Springfield and Lane County all had made emergency declarations in preparation for and reaction to the effects COVID-19 is having on local public health and the economy.





The first person to test positive for COVID-19 in Lane County is a 69-year-old resident of the Eugene-Springfield area, local health officials announced Tuesday afternoon.

Lane County Health Officer Dr. Patrick Luedtke said the man lives in a private residence and that his is likely a case of community transmission, meaning he didn’t travel to a COVID-19 hotbed or have contact with another known case.

The man is at home, following all Lane County Public Health recommendations and is medically stable, Ludetke said. His symptoms — a fever, body aches, chills and a light cough — appeared March 1 and a test was taken by his health care provider on Friday, according to Ludetke.

"His presentation initially was very much like a common cold, which is what we’ve been expecting and seen in other countries," Ludetke said.

County health officials are reaching out to people who had contact with the man so they can work toward next steps, Ludetke said. Communicable disease investigations are underway, and Ludetke said locals will be told directly if a public contact exposure point is identified.

The Lane County case is one of 19 new presumptive cases of the novel coronavirus that state and county health officials reported Tuesday. It more than doubled the previous day’s tally of eight, bringing the number of known COVID-19 patients in the state to 66.

Seven people in Washington County, five in Linn County and another four in Clackamas County tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

The three other patients are residents of Lane, Marion and Multnomah counties, according to state and county health officials.

Four of the cases in Linn County had been reported late Monday night by the Oregon Department of Veteran Affairs.

There are now known coronavirus cases in 14 of Oregon’s 36 counties: 21 in Washington County; 15 in Linn County; six each in Clackamas and Deschutes counties; four in Marion County; three in Multnomah County; two each in Benton, Jackson and Umatilla counties; and one each in Douglas, Lane, Klamath, Polk and Yamhill counties.

Local officials were not surprised the pandemic finally has appeared here.

"We knew this information was coming, so now we have it," said Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis. "For me, it says the system is starting to crank up and we’re getting the information we need."

By the time Luedtke announced the first confirmed local appearance of the disease that’s spreading around the globe, the governments of Lane County, Eugene and Springfield all had made emergency declarations in preparation for and reaction to the effects COVID-19 is having on local public health and the economy.

Springfield was the first to make its declaration when its mayor and City Council members met for a regular meeting Monday night. Attended by more than 30 people, officials included, it was the last meeting before a planned recess for City Council and may be the last in-person meeting for some time.

"The purpose of the declaration of emergency is that the cities are responsible for the emergency functions within their jurisdiction. By law, we are also obligated to assist with the state and the county, but there is some advantage for cities declaring their own emergency," Springfield City Manager Pro Tem Mary Bridget Smith told the council members.

Smith said the declaration will help set Springfield up for federal reimbursement and allows for cutting the red tape on items such as procuring emergency supplies and development improvements for health care facilities.

"The hospitals are going to need something fast from us," Smith said.

The Lane County Board of Commissioners met early Tuesday morning and unanimously decided to make a similar emergency declaration.

"We’re especially looking toward our rural residents and communities to determine the best ways we can help, support and enhance efforts to keep people healthy and safe," Commissioner Heather Buch said at a Lane County Public Health briefing Tuesday afternoon.

Buch said the board is looking to assure rural grocery stores stay stocked and that there are transportation options for residents despite service changes. She said they’re also working to assure rural health facilities have what they need.

Vinis, some members of the Eugene City Council and some city staff met at the downtown library for an emergency meeting at noon Tuesday. Most of the City Council joined the meeting by calling in.

The council unanimously voted to declare a state of emergency in Eugene, which will do away with some bureaucracy and grant some new powers to Acting City Manager Sarah Medary.

"The emergency that we’re in has gone beyond what we would routinely do," Medary said. "There’s 13 different items, but it allows me to regulate food, for example. I can ration, freeze, put quotas on things, put prohibitions on things. It allows you to do rent control, close streets, demand debris management. It’s a broad set of authorities meant to address a number of different activities."

Contact reporter Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@registerguard.com or 541-338-2237, and follow him on Twitter @DuvernayOR. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.