Gov. Kate Brown tours a drive-thru mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Portland International Airport, April 9, 2021. The clinic is a joint operation hosted by Oregon Health & Science University, the Port of Portland and the American Red Cross.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff/ OPB
Workers for state agencies will be required to wear face masks in any indoor workspace, as will visitors to those agencies, under guidance announced by Gov. Kate Brown on Friday.
The updated safety protocols, which will be enforced regardless of a person’s vaccination status, come as new data suggests the delta variant of COVID-19 is as transmissible by vaccinated people as by those who have not received a shot.
“The science and data are clear: the Delta variant is spreading in our communities and is more contagious,” Brown said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “This mask requirement will protect Oregonians, many of whom have been on the frontlines of the pandemic and who continue to provide essential services to Oregonians. We also must protect everyone—both agency employees and community members who visit state agencies for information, services, and resources.”
The new requirements apply only to employees of executive branch agencies, meaning that it’s possible visitors to the state Capitol, controlled by Legislature, or state courts will encounter different rules.
A fact sheet Brown’s office released said the new requirements will take effect immediately, and impact workers and visitors in virtually every indoor public state agency. Exceptions exist for workers who are alone in an enclosed space, or are eating and drinking. For members of the public interacting with agencies like Driver and Motor Vehicle Services or Oregon State Police, brief exceptions to the mask requirements are allowed if an agency needs to confirm someone’s identity, the guidance says.
Like many other areas of the country, Oregon in recent weeks has seen its number of new positive cases and hospitalizations surge, as the delta variant takes hold among unvaccinated populations. Despite that trend, Brown has been reticent to re-initiate business or gathering restrictions the state labored under for much of the past 15 months. The governor also has not announced any vaccine requirements for state workers similar to a step President Joe Biden took with federal employees Thursday and that the state of California has also implemented..
Asked whether any such steps are in the works, the governor’s office did not immediately answer on Friday. The office told The Oregonian/OregonLive earlier this week Brown was still considering her options.