Oregon Re-Implements Mask Mandates For Outdoor Gatherings

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) announced Tuesday that the state is restoring an outdoor mask mandate regardless of vaccination status, a measure that will take effect as of Friday.

Face covers will be required in most public outdoor places, including big outdoor events where social distancing is unlikely to happen.

“Today we have 1,000 COVID-19 patients in our hospitals. I’m continuing to take actions to protect Oregonians and save lives. Effective Friday 8/27, masks will be required in public outdoors settings where physical distancing is not possible, regardless of vaccination status,” said Brown in her statement, which she shared on her Twitter also.

“The delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of crisis we have not yet seen in the pandemic. Cases and hospitalizations are at a record high,” Brown added in her release. “Masks are a quick and simple tool we can immediately deploy to protect ourselves and our families, and quickly help stop further spread of COVID-19.”

Mask-wearing is not required when alone or with the same household members.

People who live alone are also recommended to wear a mask outdoors when someone from another household has come over. 

The measure is taking place as Oregon recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases of more than 14,800 cases, from Aug. 15 to Aug. 21 alone, per Johns Hopkins University.

Fifty-eight percent of Oregon residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which is above the U.S. average.