Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that masks will be required in public outdoor spaces regardless of vaccination status, starting Friday.
“The delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of crisis we have not yet seen in the pandemic,” Brown said. “Masks have proven to be effective at bringing case counts down, and are a necessary measure right now, even in some outdoor settings, to help fight COVID and protect one another.”
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The risk of catching COVID-19 outdoors is very low. Still, the delta variant has been shown to spread more easily than previous strains, including the original strain of the virus that launched the pandemic.
“It is much easier for people with the delta variant, compared to people who were sick last year, to infect others around them,” said State Health Officer Dr. Dean Sidelinger. “This is because they have 1,000 times more virus in their nose — which means that those around them are much more likely to get sick because this variant behaves so differently.”
The masking rule, when it takes effect this Friday, will not apply to quick interactions between people from different households. People at large outdoor gatherings where social distancing is difficult, such as sporting events, will need to mask up. Although people who attend private gatherings in homes are not subject to the requirement, Oregon’s state health department said masking is highly recommended.
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The requirement allows for some exemptions. Children under 5, performers delivering a speech or concert, athletes playing competitive sports, and people who are eating and drinking will not have to wear masks outdoors in public. Brown did not say when the masking rule would be lifted, but record-breaking hospitalizations and cases in the state suggest the requirement will remain in effect for a while.
“Cases and hospitalizations are at a record high,” Brown said. “The combination of vaccines and masks is the most powerful way we can fight this latest surge of COVID-19 and save lives.”
