Masks No Longer Required for Outdoor Sporting Events

Masks are no longer required at outdoor high school sporting events in Oregon, officials announced this week.

For indoor sports, masks aren’t required as long as participants are fully vaccinated and their vaccination status is checked, the Oregon School Activities Association said Wednesday.

These changes apply to student-athletes, staff, volunteers and spectators. School districts, charter schools, private schools and sporting venues may still choose to require masks for high school sports.

Canby quarterbacks coach Faustin Riley and junior Mikey Gibson both wear masks at the Cougars’ season opener on March 7, 2021. Photo by Tyler Francke.

Physical distancing and capacity restrictions for high school sporting events still apply, indoors and outdoors, until further notice.

The announcement follows Tuesday’s updated mask guidance from the Oregon Health Authority, which says masks are no longer required for fully vaccinated people in most indoor settings, including businesses and churches, but only if their vaccination status is checked.

Like the new guidelines for sports, the state also said it would no longer require masks to be worn in outdoor settings — though venues may choose to implement more restrictive policies.

A Canby student-athlete runs drills while wearing a mask at Cougar Stadium in January 2021. Photo by Tyler Francke.

According to OHA, “fully vaccinated” means a person has received both doses of a two-shot Covid-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or the single-jab Johnson & Johnson vaccine and at least 14 days have passed since their last dose.

For venues requiring proof of vaccination status, acceptable documentation includes a Covid-19 vaccination card, a copy or digital photo of that card or a letter from a health care provider or government agency that includes a person’s name, date of birth, type of vaccine and when and where the vaccine was administered.

OSAA said it will continue to seek clarification from OHA and Governor Kate Brown’s office regarding Covid-19 restrictions and will give the new information to schools as it’s received.

Help us build a sustainable news organization to serve Canby for generations to come! Let us know if you can support our efforts to expand our operations and keep all of our content paywall-free. #SwimWithTheCurrent!