COVID-19 Guidance

Updated April 2

View the latest orders, directives and guidance from local, state and federal authorities. We will update this page as information becomes available:

Business

State law

Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order March 23 that closes nonessential businesses if they cannot offer delivery or take-out style service. The order is effective immediately, and remains in effect until ended by the Governor. [Read the order]

Gov. Brown expanded her moratorium on rental evictions due to COVID-19 to include commercial properties. [Read the order]

Failure to comply with the order will be considered an immediate danger to public health and subject to a Class C misdemeanor.

The order strengthens and expands on a March 15 guidance to employers to implement distancing measures including telecommuting and staggered schedules. Now all businesses must have employees work from home, as much as possible. Non-retail businesses such as manufacturers and construction companies must ensure their employees maintain physical-distancing measures.

Allowed (must keep 6 feet from others)

  • Hospitals and health care

  • Grocery stores

  • Banks

  • Pharmacies

  • Take-out/delivery from restaurants and bars

  • Food carts

  • Pet stores

  • Gas stations

  • Certain retail stores

  • Outdoor activities like walking your dog, jogging, or biking in your neighborhood

  • Child care facilities and babysitters (if abiding by new rules)

  • Shelters and emergency social services

  • Offices, warehouses, manufacturing businesses operating under teleworking and physical distancing requirements

  • Airports

Not Allowed

  • Social gatherings (parties, celebrations) with people from outside of your household

  • Dine-in restaurants and bars

  • Nightclubs and concerts

  • Shopping at outdoor or indoor malls and retail complexes

  • Fitness: Gyms, sports and fitness centers, health clubs, and exercise studios, dance and yoga studios

  • Grooming: Hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, massage clinics, non-medical wellness spas, cosmetic stores, tattoo parlors

  • Entertainment: Theaters, amusement parks, arcades, bowling alleys, music concerts, sporting events, museums, skating rinks

  • Outdoors: State parks, playgrounds, campgrounds, pools, skate parks, festivals

Businesses that remain open

Prepare your team

  • Ensure sick leave policies allow employees to stay home when they are sick and comply with sick leave laws and policies.

  • Have flexible policies that allow employees to stay home to care for a sick family member or for a child who cannot go to school.

  • Plan for absenteeism at the workplace:

    • Cross-train personnel to perform essential functions

    • Prepare to maintain critical operations: identify alternative suppliers, prioritize clients, temporarily suspend some  operations

  • Postpone non-urgent services. Provide services by phone or online where possible.

  • Ask clients to have resources to stay home for up to 2 weeks if they become sick.

Keep people well

  • Make sure all employees stay home when ill and practice good hand washing.

  • Place posters that encourage staying home when sick and frequent hand washing.

  • Provide tissues, waste baskets and hand sanitizer in areas where people gather.

  • Routinely clean all frequently-touched surfaces.

  • Provide disposable disinfectant wipes to clean common surfaces before each use.

If employees feel ill 

  • Employees who have a cough/fever illness should stay home until they are free of fever and any other symptoms for at least 72 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medicines or cough suppressants). 

  • Any employee that becomes sick with a fever and cough illness at work must be sent home immediately. 

  • For those employees who are sick with respiratory illness, do not require a healthcare provider’s note to validate their illness or to return to work.

Resources

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Community and faith groups

Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order March 23 directing everyone in Oregon to stay at home unless absolutely necessary and banning social gatherings of any size. [Read more from Gov. Brown]

Continue to provide the mental, spiritual, and social services that our community needs, while asking members to stay home as much as possible. Community groups and places of worship can offer remote access to services, such as by phone, emails, video streaming, and teleconference.

Review the CDC’s Resources for Community and Faith-Based Leaders page for more information.

If an organization must hold a gathering in person that cannot be postponed: 

  • Limit gatherings to 10 people or fewer.

  • Maintain at least six feet between participants. 

  • Avoid handshakes and hugs. 

  • Do not share food or drink. 

  • Increase the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting.

Shelter providers: Contact the Joint Office of Homeless Services and review Guidance for Shelters.

Meal providers: Review the Guidance for Restaurants and Food Service.

Volunteer-driven: Ask volunteers at higher risk — those who are older, have underlying health conditions or are pregnant — to stay home as much as possible and take extra precautions to stay healthy.

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Food service

Restaurants

Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order March 23 directing everyone in Oregon to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. The order is effective immediately, and remains in effect until ended by the Governor. [Read the order]

The order continues restrictions issued in a March 17 rule [Read the press release] that restaurants, bars, and other establishments limit food or beverages to carry-out and delivery only with no on-site consumption permitted.

Food service at health care facilities, workplaces, and other essential facilities will continue.

Multnomah County Environmental Health is monitoring the situation. Our environmental health supervisor has answered some commonly asked questions. [Read those here]

Food establishments that have concerns or questions should contact their health inspector or email foodsafety@multco.us.

Grocery shopping

Only well people should grocery shop and work in grocery stores. All employees must wash their hands frequently and well. Shoppers should also be mindful to:

  • Maintain a physical distance of 6 feet between you and others. 

  • Wear a cloth face covering when you cannot keep 6 feet between you and others. 

  • Avoid touching and picking up items you may not need. 

  • Routinely wash reusable bags.

Delivery

Only people who are in good health should prepare and deliver food. And all food service and delivery staff must wash their hands often with warm water and soap.

Upon delivery, employees should set food packages on the customer’s doorstep and step back 6 feet after knocking.

We also recommend:

  • Restaurants and diners consider using a contactless business model that requires limited or no interaction between the restaurant, delivery service, and the customer. 

  • Encourage delivery drivers to leave your delivery at a pre-designated spot. Pay for all products ahead of time so no exchange of money is needed or have a need to sign a receipt.

  • Once a customer has their food, they should remember to wash their hands before eating.

  • Anyone concerned about the packaging might consider transferring their food to a plate or bowl, dispose of the delivery container and then wash their hands. 

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Gatherings

Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order March 23 directing everyone in Oregon to stay at home unless absolutely necessary and banning nonessential gatherings of any size. The order is effective immediately, and remains in effect until ended by the Governor. [Read the order]

Failure to comply with the order will be considered an immediate danger to public health and subject to a Class C misdemeanor.

The order builds on a March 17 order limiting gatherings to no more than 25 people. A gathering is defined as any event, planned or spontaneous, in a space in which appropriate physical distancing cannot be maintained.

About the order

  • Oregonians must stay home whenever possible.

  • Limited activities are allowed outside the home only when physical distance is maintained.

  • All nonessential social and recreational gatherings are prohibited, regardless of size, if a distance of at least six feet between individuals cannot be maintained. 

  • Gatherings of members of the same residential household are permitted.

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Health Clinics

The Oregon Health Authority updates guidance for testing and clinical care and healthcare infection prevention and control. [View guidance]

Be cautious about turning away patients who feel they need to be evaluated. A plan to return for care should be developed so the patient knows what to do if symptoms become worse. 

Treating patients

For patients who might be ill with a respiratory viral infection, clinics should also have a plan in place to address how to care for a patient before they arrive, during intake, and while the patient is being seen. 

  • Instruct patients to call ahead — or inform the health care provider upon arrival — if they have symptoms including a cough, shortness of breath and fever. Ask the patient to wear a facemask to contain their cough, and place the patient in an exam room as quickly as possible.

  • Consider screening patients for other germs that cause respiratory illness.

  • If a person with possible COVID-19 arrives unexpectedly, ask the patient to wear a mask and take them immediately to an exam room. Keep the exam room door closed.

  • If possible, schedule a person who may have COVID-19 as the last patient of the day.

  • If possible, suspected COVID-19 patients should be escorted into the building through an entrance that allows them to access an exam room without exposing others.

  • Minimize the number of healthcare workers interacting with the patient. Caregivers should follow Oregon Health Authority's guidance, which includes eye protection and a surgical or procedure mask.

  • Collect all specimens and perform clinical interventions in the exam room if possible.

  • The exam room should be left empty for as long as possible after the patient has left; the room should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

  • Patients who are under evaluation for COVID-19 may stay at home if they are not sick enough to be admitted, but will need a plan for who to contact if clinical symptoms worsen. See CDC guidance for home care.

Clinic Resources

OHA: COVID-19 Healthcare Partner Resources

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Home health

Public health experts from Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Columbia counties issued guidance March 27 on:

  • What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19. [Read the guidance]

  • What to do if you have symptoms and are worried about COVID-19. [Read the guidance]

  • What to do if you have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 and are recovering at home. [Read the guidance]

If you are well

A person without cough, fever, or other signs of illness does not need to seek care or testing. Make sure to practice everyday prevention. That means washing hands regularly, cleaning frequently touched surfaces and taking extra care if someone is at risk of complications from this virus. [Read more]

If you feel ill

If you start to feel sick — especially with a fever and cough — stay home and do the things you normally do to feel better: sleep, rest, drink plenty of fluids. 

If you need to seek care, call your doctor before going to the clinic. 

If you have COVID-19 or think you may be ill with the virus, do not take public transit. If you need urgent care, get a ride from someone in your household. If your symptoms are life-threatening call 9-1-1. [Read the CDC guidance]

Home Care

When someone in the home has confirmed or possible COVID-19, designate one person in the household as the main caregiver for the ill person. 

Whoever is designated to care for the ill person should be healthy and not have medical conditions that would put them at risk for severe illness. Those considered “high risk” include people over the age of 65 and anyone with the following conditions:

  • Lung problems

  • Heart problems 

  • Kidney disease 

  • A suppressed immune system

  • Diabetes

Most patients with COVID-19 can receive the care they need at home, as mild symptoms of COVID-19 may be similar to a cold or the flu: runny nose, cough, low-grade fever and aches. People are probably most contagious when they have symptoms like cough and fever. 

Caring for an ill person

  • Keep the sick person in a separate, well-ventilated room apart from other people as much as possible. 

  • If a separate space is not available, keep a distance of at least six feet from others.

  • A sick person who is coughing or sneezing should wear a mask when around other people. If the patient cannot wear a mask, the caregiver should wear a mask or cover their nose and mouth when close to the ill person.

  • Provide the sick person with a separate bathroom if possible and a trash bag within reach.

  • Limit activities outside the home until the sick person is feeling well for at least three days.

  • Treat them as if they have the flu:

    • Provide healthy food and offer plenty of fluids.

    • Have them rest.

    • Offer non-prescription medicines for symptoms like fever and aches.

Call a healthcare provider or an emergency room if the sick person develops concerning symptoms, or if their symptoms worsen. And notify the healthcare provider or the emergency operator that the ill person has been evaluated for or diagnosed with COVID-19.

Caregiver self-care

The risk of catching a virus from a sick person is highest for the direct caretaker, yet everyone in the home should take precautions to limit risk. Monitor health regularly to watch for development of similar symptoms.

  • Wash hands frequently or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after being in a room as the ill person, handling their belongings and using the bathroom.

  • Properly clean all frequently-touched surfaces on a regular basis.

  • Wear a mask or cover your nose and mouth when interacting with the ill person if they are unable to use one.

  • Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth without first washing your hands.

  • Avoid sharing dishes, drinking glasses, eating utensils, towels or bedding with an ill person.

  • Wash dirty dishes in a dishwasher or with warm water and soap.

  • Laundry can be washed with warm or cold water. It is not necessary to separate laundry used by a patient from other household laundry. But do not shake dirty laundry or “hug” dirty laundry to your chest to carry it.

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Long Term Care Facilities

The Oregon Department of Human Services on March 16 restricted all visitation to licensed long-term care facilities except essential medical and emergency personnel and visitors to residents who are in the end of life. [Read policy here]

The all-visitor restrictions apply to:

  • Nursing facilities

  • Assisting living facilities

  • Residential care facilities

  • Adult foster homes

  • Group homes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Prepare your facility

  • Activate your emergency preparedness and operations teams to develop a Continuity of Operations Plan.

  • Identify dedicated employees to care for COVID-19 patients and provide infection control training. Infection prevention practices guidance is available from the CDC here.

  • Consider what your facility would require to maintain critical operations.

  • Cross-train personnel to perform essential functions.

Personal protective equipment

Ensure correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE):

  • Place a trash can near the exit inside all residents' rooms for easy PPE discarding.

  • Post signs outside any ill resident’s room that clearly describe the type of precautions needed.

  • Make PPE such as facemasks, eye protection, gowns and gloves, available immediately outside the resident’s room.

Hand hygiene

  • Provide alcohol-based hand rub in every resident room and employee area.

  • Make tissues and trash bins available.

  • Ensure all sinks are stocked with soap and paper towels.

  • Remind employees to clean their hands according to CDC guidelines.

Caring for residents

Monitor residents for fever and respiratory symptoms:

  • Restrict residents with fever or acute respiratory symptoms to their room. Residents who must leave the room for medically necessary procedures should wear a facemask (if tolerated).

  • For care of residents with undiagnosed respiratory infection, use Standard, Contact, and Droplet Precautions along with eye protection unless the suspected diagnosis requires Airborne Precautions.

Long term care resources

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Outdoors

State order

Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order March 23 directing everyone in Oregon to stay at home unless absolutely necessary and banning many outdoor activities and events.

Failure to comply with the order will be considered an immediate danger to public health and subject to a Class C misdemeanor. The order is effective immediately, and remains in effect until ended by the Governor. [Read the order]

Included in the order:

  • Oregonians must stay home whenever possible.

  • Residents may go outdoors, but only if they can keep physical distance from anyone not part of their household.  

  • Outdoor activities like walking your dog, jogging, or biking in your neighborhood are permitted with physical distance.

  • Outdoor spaces including playgrounds, campgrounds, pools, skate parks and festival grounds must close.

The order expands on a March 19 decision by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to close campgrounds in state parks, forests, and wildlife areas. [Read the release]

The U.S. Forest Service on March 23 also closed Multnomah Falls Lodge and viewing areas, Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, and Skamania Lodge. The Forest Service Hood River office is closed to walk-ins, but will offer services online and at 541-308-1700. [Read the alert]

How to recreate

If you are healthy, it is okay to be outdoors with members of your household. But only if you can maintain distance from non-household members. Just remember to:

  • Wash hands often and bring sanitizer on your outings.

  • Stay local.

  • Avoid crowded spaces and trails.

  • Wear a cloth face covering when you cannot keep 6 feet away from others.

  • Outdoor games with your household contacts are okay.

Portland Parks and Recreation asks visitors:

  • While on trails, announce your presence to others and step aside to let others pass.

  • Observe the minimum recommended physical distancing of six feet from others. If that is not possible, visitors should find an alternative location.

  • Be prepared for limited access to public restrooms and no operating water fountain.

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Public Transit

Public transit must be limited to essential trips only. Limit trips to essential needs such as for food, medicine and work. It is each rider’s responsibility to decide which trips are essential and to keep away from others. Health officials ask riders to take the following steps during this outbreak:

Keep your distance

  • Move into the bus or train away from the driver and other riders. 

  • Find a seat that keeps at least 6 feet — about bicycle length away — from others.

  • If staying 6 feet from others is not practical, such as when boarding a bus, the Oregon Health Authority recommends individuals keep a minimum distance of 3 feet [Read March 23 guidance]

  • Wear a cloth face covering if you cannot keep physical distance from others.

  • Exit through the rear of the bus whenever possible.

Avoid germs

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

  • Use your sleeve to hold on and touch doors.

  • Use an elbow or shoulder to open the door.

  • Wash your hands after your ride, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.

If you are ill

If you have COVID-19 or think you may be ill with the virus, do not take public transit. If you need urgent care, get a ride from someone in your household. If your symptoms are life-threatening call 9-1-1.

If you are otherwise ill, and must use public transit, take these steps to reduce the risk of sharing germs: 

  • Cover your nose and mouth with a medical mask or cloth face covering.

  • Wash your hands before riding. 

  • Keep your distance from others.

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Renters and property managers

Tenants

Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury announced a temporary moratorium March 17 on residential evictions for nonpayment of rent due to wage loss resulting from COVID-19. [Read the order]

Gov. Kate Brown issued a statewide eviction moratorium March 22 on residential evictions for nonpayment of rent due to wage loss resulting from COVID-19. [Read the order]

Property Managers

Below you’ll find information for managers and staff at apartment buildings, condominiums, and residential communities.

  • Encourage physical distancing, as described in Gov. Kate Brown’s March 23 executive order [View order]

  • Close or limit access to common areas. 

  • Increase frequency of cleaning and disinfecting. 

  • Properly maintain and disinfect pools and hot tubs.

  • Cancel in-person meetings and gatherings of residents and employees. 

  • Post health information for staff and residents, including proper hand hygiene. 

  • Encourage residents to make social connections by phone or online and to postpone nonessential visits.

  • Conduct regular health checks with staff and make sure staff who are sick stay home.

Ill residents

If you have a suspected or confirmed case in a building, it is not necessary to alert residents about possible cases. Please protect that individual’s privacy. Health officials will work with the ill individual to identify and reach anyone who could be at risk. 

Maintenance staff

  • Frequently clean and disinfect surfaces in common areas. Frequently-touched surfaces  — doorknobs, elevator buttons, light switches, railings, washers, dryers — should be cleaned multiple times a day.

  • Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Multnomah County for more information on cleaning and disinfecting.

  • Make garbage cans available for used tissues and paper towels.

  • Keep bathrooms stocked with soap and paper towels.

  • Limit maintenance work inside individual units as much as possible. Check in with residents to make sure they aren’t sick before you enter a unit.

  • Keep 6 feet between you and residents when doing maintenance work. 

  • Follow basic prevention including:

    • Wash hands or use sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol content) before entering a unit. Wear clean gloves if possible.

    • Disinfect all work surfaces before leaving a unit.

    • Limit the amount of equipment you bring into the unit to essential items only and disinfect after use.

Learn more

  • Moratorium: Get answers to common questions about the county’s moratorium.
  • City of Portland: find resources for landlords and tenants.

Schools and early learning

Order on childcare

Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order March 23 that requires child care facilities adhere to new guidelines. The order is effective immediately, and remains in effect until ended by the Governor. [Read the order]

The order requires child care providers:

  • Limit number of 10 children in any one classroom

  • Not permit children from outside the stable group

  • Prioritize the child care needs of emergency workers and healthcare professionals, followed by critical and essential staff, with guidance by the state’s Department of Education.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers guidance for a range of child care programs that remain open [View current guidance]

Order on schools

On April 8, Brown extended the statewide physical school closure order through the end of the current academic term and school year. [Read more] Brown originally ordered the closure of all K-12 schools effective March 16th through April 26. [Read the order]

Resources

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Shelters and campers

Shelters

Multnomah County offers guidance on preparing shelters to accommodate proper physical distancing, recommendations for mask use, cleaning, shared space and exclusions. [View guidance]

Campers

Help residents experiencing homelessness minimize the chance of becoming ill or spreading COVID-19 by spreading out camp sites, using sanitation wipes and knowing the symptoms. [View guidance]

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Travelers

State order

Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order March 23 directing everyone in Oregon to stay at home unless absolutely necessary; limited activities are allowed outside the home only when physical distance is maintained.

The order is effective immediately, and remains in effect until ended by the Governor. [Read the order]

Failure to comply with the order will be considered an immediate danger to public health and subject to a Class C misdemeanor.

Departing travelers

Oregon governor Kate Brown has asked Oregon residents to avoid nonessential travel.

For those who must travel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued recommendations for COVID-19. [View recommendations]

Check with your doctor at least one month before traveling to evaluate your health. Speak to your doctor about where you are going, when you are leaving, the length of your trip and the types of activities you are planning. 

For those who do travel, consider purchasing travel insurance in the event you need to change plans quickly. The CDC provides general guidance on trip insurance [View guidance]

Returning travelers

People who have recently traveled may be at higher risk of COVID-19 and are advised to stay home for 14 days after returning to the United States. Stay home, avoid others and monitor your health.

  • Take your temperature with a thermometer two times a day and watch for symptoms, including:

    • Fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher) 

    • Cough or trouble breathing

  • Discuss your situation with your employer before returning to work.

If you have COVID-19 or think you may be ill with the virus, do not take public transit. If you need urgent care, get a ride from someone in your household. If your symptoms are life-threatening call 9-1-1.

If you are otherwise ill, and must use public transit, take steps to reduce the risk of sharing germs:

  • Cover your nose and mouth with a mask, scarf or handkerchief.

  • Wash your hands before riding. 

  • Keep your distance from others.

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