The last of the pandemic limits Oregonians have endured for more than two years is ending, with state authorities lifting mask requirements by Friday, March 19, and the governor’s statewide Covid-19 emergency declaration ending April 1, state officials announced Thursday.
That means that this spring, life in Oregon will officially be back to normal. Though the virus is not going away, the announcements indicate that state officials believe it is time for Oregonians to live with the risk of Covid the same way they cope with influenza or cold viruses.
“Lifting Oregon’s Covid-19 emergency declaration today does not mean that the pandemic is over, or that Covid-19 is no longer a significant concern,” Governor Kate Brown said in a statement.
“But, as we have shown through the Delta and Omicron surges, as we learn to live with this virus, and with so many Oregonians protected by safe and effective vaccines, we can now protect ourselves, our friends, and our families without invoking the extraordinary emergency authorities that were necessary at the beginning of the pandemic.”
Masks won’t be required in either schools or indoor public places after March 19, about two weeks earlier than expected. The Oregon Health Authority had set March 31 as the end date but said if hospitalizations of people with Covid drop to 400 sooner, it would lift the indoor mask mandate sooner.
Governor Kate Brown on Twitter: “This does not mean the pandemic is over. COVID-19 is still present in Oregon, and we must remain vigilant. We must continue to get vaccinated and boosted, wear masks when necessary, and stay home when sick. That is the only way we can save lives and keep our communities open. / Twitter”
This does not mean the pandemic is over. COVID-19 is still present in Oregon, and we must remain vigilant. We must continue to get vaccinated and boosted, wear masks when necessary, and stay home when sick. That is the only way we can save lives and keep our communities open.
The health authority said in a statement Thursday that hospitalizations are expected to reach 400 by March 20. That is based on the latest forecast from the Oregon Health and Science University, the agency said in its release.
The statement said that preparations in schools were advancing more quickly than expected, which allowed the state to lift that mandate earlier than March 31.
“We are able to take this important step, earlier than anticipated, because of the collective diligence and the shared sacrifice that people in Oregon have demonstrated in getting vaccinated, wearing masks and limiting their gatherings,” Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state health officer and epidemiologist, said in a statement.
Brown echoed that sentiment in her statement: “Over the past six months, as Oregon weathered our worst surges of the pandemic (and) I’m proud of the way Oregonians have worked together to keep each other safe.”
The Canby School District on Thursday confirmed that it, too, would make masks optional for students, staff and visitors starting March 19 after the statewide mandate is lifted. The district had previously announced it would make the same move at the end of March.
Canby has not followed the lead of neighboring Molalla and other districts in making masks optional before the end of the statewide mandate, which could result in the loss of some federal funding or other penalties.
Most Oregonians are not likely to notice the end of the governor’s state of emergency. The emergency order, put in place on June 30, provided the state flexibility to respond to the pandemic by mobilizing volunteer medical professionals, including many who are retired, in hospitals.
The order also gave the state the ability to loosen medical license standards to bring in more nurses, for example. And it gave Oregon access to emergency federal funds, including enhanced benefits for people receiving food assistance.
Most of the governor’s executive orders on Covid were rescinded last year. Brown did mobilize the Oregon National Guard again in January, deploying 1,200 troops to 40 hospitals and medical centers around the state. They were mobilized for 90 days.
Ursulla Bischoff, chief of civic engagement for the Oregon Military Department, said troops will demobilize at the end of March.
“That’s still the plan,” Bischoff said.
Daily Covid hospitalizations have dropped nearly 50% since peaking in late January. Over the past two weeks, hospitalizations have fallen by an average of more than 30 a day, the health authority said.
On Wednesday, 579 people were hospitalized with Covid around the state.
Infections have also fallen rapidly in recent weeks. Over the past month, new infections have declined by more than 80%. The seven-day moving average is now 1,147 cases a day – 84% lower than at the peak of the omicron surge.
State officials said that three weeks is enough time for local communities and school districts to prepare for lifting the mask mandates.
Colt Gill, director of the Oregon Department of Education, said in a statement that education and health officials were working on updating safety protocols for quarantine, contact tracing and testing to match the current state of the pandemic.
“These guidelines will continue to support our North Star goal of providing in-person learning for every student, all day, every school day and will focus on specific supports for students, staff, and families that may be at more risk from Covid-19 than others in the school population,” Gill said.
Some schools have already lifted the mask mandate, defying state officials.
In the Alsea School District near Corvallis, the local school board and then-Superintendent Marc Thielman made masks optional on January 31. In response, the state Education Department froze the district’s federal Covid relief dollars.
Thielman announced this week he was resigning from the district to focus on his run for governor.
The district is currently under investigation by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and could face fines of up to $500 for each day the mask mandate is violated.
Though the mandate will be lifted, the Education Department still recommends that schools continue to enforce masking after March 19. Districts that choose to make masks optional will sacrifice their access to the test-to-stay program that had allowed unvaccinated students to stay in school even after an exposure.
Without a mask requirement in schools, unvaccinated students will need to quarantine immediately after an exposure, the state said Thursday.
“Those settings bring together vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, as well as individuals who are at higher risk for severe Covid-19 illness,” the Oregon Health Authority said in its statement.
State officials also recommend that people in high-risk groups continue to wear masks in indoor public settings after the restrictions are lifted.
They include people who are not vaccinated, have underlying health conditions that put them at risk for severe disease, are 65 or older or live with someone in those categories.
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Contact Editor Les Zaitz for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.
