Masks are back: Oregon Governor Kate Brown becomes first in US to reimpose OUTDOOR mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status
Oregon has become the first state to order residents to wear masks outdoors in public - even if they have been vaccinated - amid a fresh surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations.
In an announcement on Twitter, Governor Kate Brown announced that everyone over the age of five will be required to wear masks when gathering outside 'where physical distancing is not possible,' regardless of their vaccination status, starting on Friday August 27.
'Masks have been proven to be effective at reducing transmission and are a necessary measure right now, even in some outdoor settings, to help us fight COVID and to protect one another,' Brown said.
'I want to stress, however, that this rule doesn't mean you have to wear a mask at all times outdoors,' she continued. 'You do not need to mask up for the fleeting pass on a hiking trail or your morning walk with your dog.
'It does mean that you have to take personal responsibility and use common sense in outdoor spaces where you can't physically distance yourself.
'I know we're all tired of masking, but this simple act of kindness and compassion protects our communities and saves lives.'
Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced in a video on Twitter Tuesday that the state is re-imposing its outdoor mask mandate as COVID cases continue to rise
Today we have 1,000 COVID-19 patients in our hospitals. I’m continuing to take actions to protect Oregonians and save lives.
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) August 24, 2021
Effective Friday 8/27, masks will be required in public outdoors settings where physical distancing is not possible, regardless of vaccination status. pic.twitter.com/0EU6bteTPU
Today we have 1,000 COVID-19 patients in our hospitals. I’m continuing to take actions to protect Oregonians and save lives.
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) August 24, 2021
Effective Friday 8/27, masks will be required in public outdoors settings where physical distancing is not possible, regardless of vaccination status. pic.twitter.com/0EU6bteTPU
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. pic.twitter.com/0EU6bteTPU
The new mandate does not apply to children under the age of five, the homeless, people engaged in competitive sports and those delivering an outdoor speech or performance.
Masks are also not required at outdoor gatherings at private residences under the rule, but are 'strongly recommended in those settings when individuals from different households do not consistently maintain physical distance,' Brown said in a statement.
The state has already imposed an indoor mask policy for children over the age of five, and is requiring all public school staff, health care workers and state employers to be fully vaccinated by October 18.
Brown has also dispatched about 1,500 guard troops to hospitals around the state.
The new regulation comes as the state sees a surge in COVID cases, with Brown reporting on Tuesday there were 1,000 COVID patients in the hospitals - beating the state's previous record of 937 hospitalizations, according to the Associated Press.
'In some cases, hospitals are having to put patients in hallways,' she said. 'Many others are delaying other critical surgeries and treatment for patients because there is not the staffed bed for them to recover in.'
On Tuesday, Oregon reported 2,804 new cases with a 12.2 percent positivity rate and an COVID infection rate of 345.3 per 100,000 residents over the past week.
There were 30 new deaths on Tuesday, with 285 patients in ICU beds and 152 on ventilators. The state had just 45 ICU beds left for COVID patients as the Delta variant continues to spread.
'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, adding: 'Cases and hospitalizations are at a record high.'
The state has already imposed an indoor mask mandate for everyone over the age of five. Here, a sign outside a bakery in Oswego, Oregon reminds customers to wear their masks
State Health Officer Dr. Dean Sidelinger said that the state is 'starting to see instances where cases are clustering around events like outdoor music festivals,' such as the Pendleton Whisky Music Fest in July, seen here
State Health Officer Dr. Dean Sidelinger said that the state is 'starting to see instances where cases are clustering around events like outdoor music festivals.
'It is much easier for people with the Delta variant, compared to people who were sick last year, to infect others around them,' he said in a statement.
'This is because they have 1,000 time more virus in their nose - which means that those around them are much more likely to get sick, because this variant behaves so differently.'
A majority of those who are in the hospital, health officials note, are unvaccinated.
'The combination of vaccines and masks is the most powerful way we can fight this latest surge of COVID-19 and save lives,' Brown said.
She added: 'Vaccination continues to be the best way you can protect yourself and your family from the Delta variant and the most effective way we can help our exhausted nurses and doctors, who are working around the clock to treat Oregonians sick with COVID in our ICUs.'
Oregon had just 45 ICU beds left for COVID patients as the Delta variant continues to spread
Across the United States, meanwhile, the rate of new COVID cases seems to have declined, with 115,901 new cases reported on Monday compared to 170,208 last Wednesday.
There were more deaths, though, reported on Monday than there were on Sunday - 677 compared to 393 the day before.
Meanwhile, 60.9 percent of all eligible Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, with just over half being fully vaccinated.