The Oregon Health Authority, the City of Portland, and Travel Portland are all closely monitoring the situation in the community. Portland is currently open for business, and travel is not restricted. According to authorities, the risk of exposure in Portland is still low. That said, things could change, and it is impossible to predict how the situation will unfold in the future. Because of this, MLA is relying on public health officials to provide the best information and guidance.
The Oregon Health Authority provides daily updates of the situation in Oregon, and you can monitor developments at the national level by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) website for COVID-19.
At this time, the Multnomah County and state health authorities are prioritizing healthy work and travel habits around hygiene and have not advised on any other level of guidance at this point. The CDC is simply encouraging individuals to take the same routine precautions as for the flu:
- Avoid contact with sick people.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Clean your hands often by washing them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at 60%–95% alcohol.
- Soap and water should be used if hands are visibly dirty.
- It is especially important to clean hands after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.
As the situation changes, the CDC will provide updated information and revised guidance, if necessary. In the meantime, we recommend that you check regularly for updates from the health authorities.
Local Portland/Oregon resources with regular updates on COVID-19 include:
- CDC’s travel advisories and guidelines
- CDC’s Travel: FAQ section
- Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering tracker
- Multnomah County
- Oregon Convention Center
- Oregon Health Authority
- Portland International Airport
- US Department of State’s travel advisories and guidelines
- World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) travel recommendations and guidelines
