Fully vaccinated Oregonians can ditch their face masks in most public settings, Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday, aligning the state with new federal guidance on the ubiquitous mainstays of pandemic life.
Beginning Thursday, Oregonians who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks in public settings with a few exceptions, including at hospitals, health-care clinics, jails and prisons, long-term care facilities and when riding on buses, trains, planes or waiting in an airport.
The full scope of the changes is not immediately clear, however, and spokespersons for the Oregon Health Authority and Brown did not directly answer detailed questions about how the changes will apply to businesses.
But it appears Brown’s announcement will soon cover retailers and other workplaces so long as they verify the vaccination status of employees and, potentially, customers. Brown said the Oregon Health Authority will provide updated guidance in the days ahead. Notably, the changes will not apply to schools.
“Going forward, fully vaccinated individuals in Oregon will generally not have to wear masks or practice physical distancing indoors or outdoors, with exceptions,” Charles Boyle, a spokesperson for the governor, said in a statement.
“However, we realize that businesses and other venues will not have had time to update their policies in the last few hours,” he added. “We’d ask fully vaccinated Oregonians for their patience, and to comply with posted mask and physical distancing regulations while Oregon’s guidance is being updated.”
Meanwhile Brown, in perhaps her most explicit effort yet to improve inoculation rates against COVID-19, told unvaccinated Oregonians who want to stop wearing masks they should consider getting a shot.
“Oregonians now have a choice of how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19: either get vaccinated, or continue wearing a mask and following physical distancing requirements,” she said in a video statement.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday abruptly revised its policy on mask-wearing, triggering some states around the country to fall in line while others viewed the changes more cautiously and announced no policy tweaks. The CDC’s guidance said fully vaccinated people did not need to wear masks or physically distance, “except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.”
Oregon was one of seven states to respond Thursday by lifting mask mandates, according to The New York Times. Oregon first implemented its mask requirements for some counties 11 months ago, and statewide July 1, leaving state officials scrambling to explain such sweeping changes mere hours after they were announced.
The CDC considers someone fully vaccinated 14 days after the person receives a first dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine or a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. Oregon will use that same standard, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
But beyond that, much remains up in the air.
“There are a number of complex policy and legal questions that need to be addressed in updating our current regulatory framework to reflect this new CDC guidance while ensuring the safety of both vaccinated and unvaccinated Oregonians,” said Boyle, the governor’s spokesperson.
For example, state officials could not immediately provide a definition for “public spaces,” such as whether the changes would apply to a city hall, county courthouse or even a large sports venue owned by the government, such as Providence Park where the Portland Timbers soccer team plays.
Boyle said a definition will be established by the Oregon Health Authority as it develops written policy guidance.
State officials also didn’t clarify if the changes would apply to customers at grocery stores or movie theaters, nor how the changes would affect workers or when state rules for businesses would be revised.
Brown, in her statement, said businesses would be allowed to lift mask and physical distancing requirements “after verifying vaccination status.” But it’s unclear how that would happen, and if it would apply only to workers -- or also customers who seemingly could flash vaccination cards as proof.
“Some businesses may prefer to simply continue operating under the current guidance for now, rather than worrying about verifying vaccination status,” Brown said, “and that’s fine.”
The Oregon Health Authority provided little clarity beyond Brown’s statement, repeating nearly verbatim what the governor said about forthcoming guidance.
“We will be providing that information but cannot give you a precise timeline today,” Rudy Owens, a spokesperson, said in an email.
How businesses plan to respond to the CDC’s changes is similarly unclear. Nationwide, Macy’s and Target were reviewing the CDC’s guidance, according to The New York Times, while Home Depot said it had no plans to change existing requirements that masks be worn by customers and workers.
Brown has said she plans to lift most COVID-19 restrictions statewide when 70% of the state’s population 16 and older is at least partially vaccinated. That’s expected to happen sometime in June.
More than 1.5 million Oregonians have completed their full vaccination regimen, according to state data, although that does not mean 14 days has passed since each person received a final shot. Nearly 500,000 additional Oregonians have been partially vaccinated.
Here is Brown’s full statement:
“Hello, Governor Kate Brown here.
Today the CDC issued new guidance for lifting mask and social distancing requirements for fully-vaccinated individuals. It is yet another sign that, if we all continue to do our part, the pandemic is coming closer to an end.
Starting today, Oregon will be following this guidance, which only applies to fully-vaccinated individuals. That means Oregonians who are fully-vaccinated no longer need to wear masks or social distance in most public spaces.
The CDC has outlined a few exceptions, such as public transportation, hospitals and health care clinics, correctional facilities, and long-term care facilities. Oregon will continue to require individuals to remain masked and distanced in these circumstances. Immuno-compromised people should continue to follow the recommendations of their health care provider when it comes to personal protective measures. Nothing is changing for schools this school year, and I expect education staff and students to continue to wear masks and physically distance, as outlined in our Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance.
In the coming days, the Oregon Health Authority will be providing updated guidance for businesses, employers, and others to allow the option of lifting mask and physical distancing requirements after verifying vaccination status. Some businesses may prefer to simply continue operating under the current guidance for now, rather than worrying about verifying vaccination status, and that’s fine.
Oregonians now have a choice of how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19: either get vaccinated, or continue wearing a mask and following physical distancing requirements.
The new CDC guidance makes clear that vaccines are the best tool to protect yourself, and everyone around you. Vaccines are also the fastest way to get back to doing the things we all love, and to returning to a sense of normalcy.
If you’re already vaccinated, thank you. I encourage you to help a friend or loved one make their appointment. If you have questions about vaccines, that’s totally normal. Call your health care provider to get your questions answered, or visit covidvaccine.oregon.gov for great resources.
We are one step closer to putting this pandemic behind us. Thank you, Oregon, for continuing to get vaccinated. Keep it up. And stay safe out there.”
-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oreogonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt