page_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Portland, Oregon
section_title: Economic impact
hierarchical_section_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Portland, Oregon / Economic impact
caption_attribution_description: Where there once was hand sanitizer at the Rite Aid in downtown Portland, there are now empty shelves. In the midst of the Coronavirus epidemic, both hand sanitizer and gloves are becoming hard to find in pharmacies.
context_page_description: The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon on February 28, 2020.
context_section_description: Delta Air Lines reduced flights between Portland and Japan. United Airlines cut 4 of 20 flights from Portland as well as one from Eugene. Sun Country Airlines reduced flights between Portland and Honolulu, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.
  School closures and event cancellations prompted people to stock up on groceries. Long lines were seen at grocery stores and food pantries throughout the Portland metropolitan area. Local cannabis dispensaries saw an increased demand as customers stocked up in case stores were forced to close temporarily. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) permitted stores to operate via curbside pick-up and home delivery temporarily.
  OLCC suspended the enforcement of the Oregon Bottle Bill on March 15 so that grocers can focus on restocking, sanitation and social distancing management. Grocers may elect to not accept bottle returns during this period. The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC) which operates beverage container redemption centers throughout Oregon is keeping their centers open. The enforcement suspension remains in effect until two weeks after the county in which retailer is located enters phase 1 of reopening.  The Oregonian reported on April 23 that the City of Portland has been operating a bottle return site at an "undisclosed site in North Portland" based at one of the city's clinic that provides drug addicts with services such as clean syringes and opioid overdose antidote.
  On March 28, Oregon temporarily lifted the prohibition on self-pump at gas stations to ensure fuel is available during staffing issues related to the pandemic. Stations are allowed to let customers pump their own gas through May 9.
caption: Empty latex glove shelves at a Rite Aid store in downtown Portland
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