Oregon, other West Coast states to lift mask mandates March 12

Oregon’s indoor and school mask mandates will lift March 12, one week earlier than previously announced.

Gov. Kate Brown made the decision in connection with Washington and California, which also will lift their mask mandates on that date.

“As has been made clear time and again over the last two years, COVID-19 does not stop at state borders or county lines,” Brown said in a statement. “Together, as we continue to recover from the Omicron surge, we will build resiliency and prepare for the next variant and the next pandemic.”

The announcement comes on the two-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case identified in Oregon, in an elementary school employee in Lake Oswego.

This is the second time Oregon has changed its target to lift the mask mandate.

On Feb. 7, the Oregon Health Authority announced the state would no longer require masks in schools beginning March 31. It said it would lift the mask mandate for indoor public places on March 31, or sooner if COVID-19 hospitalizations fell below 400.

On Feb. 24, the state moved up the date for both, to March 19, saying hospitalizations were dropping faster than expected. School districts also asked that the school mandate lift at the same time as the general mask mandate, Colt Gill, Oregon Department of Education director, said.

Health officials now predict the state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations could drop below 400 next week, or possibly even this week. On Monday, there were 479 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Oregon.

However, the state does not anticipate moving up the date again.

"By choosing this date, that gives time for people to prepare for how they're going to react when the mask mandate is lifted," Dean Sidelinger, state health officer and epidemiologist, said.

On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance for masking, based primarily on hospitalizations and hospital capacity. It recommends masking be optional in counties where COVID-19 infections are a "low" or "medium" risk.

Some Oregon counties are considered "high" risk. But decisions about masking will now be made at the local level, Sidelinger said. The CDC currently considers Marion and Polk counties to be "medium" risk.

Individual school districts, too, could decide to continue requiring masks, Gill said. ODE expects to release new guidelines for school testing, quarantine and contact tracing Wednesday.

Mask FAQ::Where you will and won't have to wear a mask

In the Salem-Keizer district, the decision will be up to Superintendent Christy Perry and her staff. Last week, she said district officials would review the new ODE protocols when they come out and consult with local health officials to determine how to proceed.

Businesses also can decide whether their employees or customers must wear a mask.

Other state and federal mask requirements, including those for health care settings and public transit, remain in place for the time being.

Tracy Loew is a reporter at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779 or on Twitter at@Tracy_Loew