The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) adopted a permanent general indoor masking rule on February 7, 2022. OAR 333-019-1025. Under that rule that State Public Health Director or
State Public Health Officer may issue an order rescinding the general indoor masking requirements if those requirements are no longer necessary to control COVID-19.
As of March 11, 2022 after 11:59 PM, the general indoor masking requirements in OAR 333-019-1025 are no longer in effect. The indoor masking requirements are no longer necessary
because impact of COVID-19 has decreased in Oregon in several ways, including but not limited to:
• Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have dropped below 300.
• As of March 8, 2022, the 7-day average of 520 cases/day was 94% lower than the peak of 8,209 cases/day on January 20; it is also the lowest 7-day average case number
since July 2021.
• As of March 9, 2022, 75.5% of people ages 18 and over living in Oregon have completed their primary COVID-19, vaccination series in addition to immunity in those
who have recently recovered from COVID-19 during the recent surges due to Delta and Omicron variants.
OHA recommends people at high risk of severe disease and hospitalization, especially in communities with medium or high levels of transmission per the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 Community Levels, continue to wear masks in indoor
settings, including people:
• Who are unvaccinated,
• With compromised immune systems,
• With underlying health conditions,
• Are 65 and older, or
• Living with others at high risk of severe disease.
OHA will continue to work to increase access to vaccinations, quality masks, testing and treatment in communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
READ FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE!
