STATE
6A — THE OBSERVER
TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021
Shedding the masks for good
After Oregon lifts them, mask
requirements will be unlikely to return
even in areas with coronavirus flare ups
By AIMEE GREEN
The Oregonian
SALEM — As Oregon
counts down the days until
Gov. Kate Brown lifts coro-
navirus restrictions, one of
the state’s top health offi -
cials said Friday, June 11,
it’s highly unlikely mask
requirements would return
even in the event of out-
breaks in counties with low
vaccination rates.
Brown has pledged to lift
mask requirements in all
but a few situations when
70% of Oregonians 18 and
older are at least partially
vaccinated, which is pro-
jected to happen later this
month.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger,
Oregon’s epidemiologist
and health offi cer, said he
doubts the Oregon Health
Authority would recom-
mend reinstituting mask
requirements and other
COVID-19 safety precau-
tions down the road. “But I
don’t want to take anything
off the table if the situation
dramatically changes,” he
said.
Some counties with a
history of signifi cant coro-
navirus spread now have
vaccination rates as low as
35% among those 16 and
older. Sidelinger acknowl-
edged that even if the gov-
ernor continued to mandate
masks for unvaccinated
people, it might not do any
good.
“Even a requirement,”
Sidelinger said, “isn’t nec-
essarily going to get people
to wear masks.”
Sidelinger’s comments
on June 11 make clear that
the change, fi rst announced
by Brown last week, is
expected to be permanent.
Neither vaccinated nor
unvaccinated people will
be required to wear masks
when Oregon hits the 70%
threshold.
The issue of masks
has often been divisive
throughout the pandemic
and, while shown to be
eff ective at reducing trans-
mission, has remained a
fl ashpoint for some.
According to a New
York Times tracker, at least
eight states — including
New York, Pennsylvania
and Illinois — that have
reopened are still requiring
unvaccinated people to
wear masks indoors, based
on recommendations from
the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Those states also lifted
mask mandates for vacci-
nated people, except in lim-
ited circumstances like in
airplanes, because of the
CDC guidance.
It’s unclear if several
other states that have yet
to reopen will require face
coverings for those who are
unvaccinated, although Cal-
ifornia says it will.
Earlier on June 11,
Brown fumbled as she tried
to explain how her plan to
allow unvaccinated Orego-
nians to go without masks
in most indoor public
spaces later this month
follows the latest CDC
recommendations.
“We have continued to
follow science and data
and worked very closely
with our federal part-
ners, including the CDC
regarding masking guide-
lines,” Brown said initially
when defending her mask-
free policy.
The CDC guidance
for unvaccinated people
says, in part: “Everyone
2 years and older should
wear masks in public,” and
“Masks should be worn in
addition to staying at least 6
feet apart, especially around
people who don’t live with
you.”
When asked why she
wasn’t planning to follow
CDC guidance, Brown
referred the question to
Sidelinger.
“I would recommend
that even when we reopen
if you’re not vaccinated you
consider wearing a mask,
consider limiting the activ-
ities that you take part in
because you’re not pro-
tected,” Sidelinger said.
When asked again,
State proposes new
stimulus payments
for essential workers
Proposal would use $450 million for
essential worker bonus, incentives
By MIKE ROGOWAY
The Oregonian
Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
A fan watches a girls basketball game at La Grande High School on
May 20, 2021. As Oregon counts down the days until Gov. Kate Brown
lifts coronavirus restrictions, one of the state’s top health offi cials
said Friday, June 11, it’s highly unlikely mask requirements would re-
turn even in the event of outbreaks in counties with low vaccination
rates.
Brown seemed to express
hope that the CDC might
change its mask recom-
mendations in the next few
weeks.
“We’re waiting to see
what the CDC guide-
lines are going to be as we
reopen,” Brown said. “We
know that they are exam-
ining the guidelines for the
education system. And I
suspect they will be re-ex-
amining other masking
guidelines. And we will
continue to watch to see
what the federal agencies,
including the CDC do in
this arena.”
Brown went on to clarify
that she was not backing
away from her plan to lift
most mask requirements
for the unvaccinated. But
then — adding to the con-
fusion — she said she’d
comply with the CDC’s
recommendations.
“Look, we’re going to
continue to follow CDC
guidelines as we reopen,”
Brown said.
Brown’s mixed mes-
sages come at a time when
it appears COVID-19 might
be regaining some ground
in Oregon, about one month
after Brown began lifting
bans on indoor dining and
loosening other coronavirus
prevention measures.
The number of new
known infections had been
tumbling from late April to
late May. But for eight days
so far in June, new cases
have plateaued, averaging
nearly 300 per day, while
new modeling indicated
that could again drop.
Like many national
public health experts,
Sidelinger, the state epide-
miologist, believes the mas-
sive surges that have char-
acterized the pandemic are
likely a thing of the past.
But he expects outbreaks
in coming months — espe-
cially as highly contagious
variants, including the
Delta variant that was fi rst
detected in India, attempt
to gain footholds and vacci-
nation rates remain low in
some areas of the state.
It’s something Sidelinger
said he anticipated because
more people have been
gathering in close proximity
to each other and traveling.
But he’s monitoring the new
trend closely.
“Certainly,” Sidelinger
said, “it’s something that
does concern me.”
SALEM — Oregon
lawmakers will consider a
proposal to pay essential
workers who stayed on the
job through the pandemic
up to $2,000 in new stim-
ulus payments and a sep-
arate $1,200 payment to
unemployed Oregonians
who return to work in
frontline jobs by fall.
Labor leaders and some
Democratic lawmakers
have been pushing to use
money from the latest fed-
eral stimulus bill to reward
essential workers for their
work during COVID-19.
The $1.9 trillion American
Rescue Plan that Congress
approved in March autho-
rizes states to spend some
of their stimulus money to
reward essential workers
and get others back on the
job. Oregon received $2.6
billion in all.
A proposal being cir-
culated Friday, June 11,
by SEIU Local 503, the
largest union representing
Oregon state employees,
would use $450 million
of the state’s share of that
stimulus money for the
essential worker bonus and
the back-to-work incentive.
Here’s how each por-
tion would work:
• The essential worker
bonus would be $2,000
for workers whose base
pay was less than the
state’s average wage in
2019 (roughly $26.50
an hour), or $1,000 for
workers earning more
than the average but less
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Bill looks to prioritize marginalized
student success in higher education
By MEERAH POWELL
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — Oregon leg-
islators are considering a
bill that would create a task
force focused on success for
underrepresented college
students.
House Bill 2590 is con-
tinuing to move through
the Legislature this session.
If the bill passes, a group
of state lawmakers will be
tasked with visiting postsec-
ondary institutions across
the state in order to meet
with current, former and
prospective students from
underrepresented groups.
Those conversations are
intended to help develop
policy focused on student
success — including aca-
demic success, as well as
college aff ordability, food
and housing needs and
entry into the workforce
after graduation.
Those underrepresented
groups not only include stu-
dents of color, but also stu-
dents in the LGBTQ com-
munity, students from rural
communities, low-income
students and other groups.
That task force of Oregon
lawmakers, which would
be appointed by the Senate
president and the speaker of
the House, would also meet
with faculty, staff and com-
munity partners who sup-
port underrepresented stu-
dents in their work.
Rep. Teresa Alonso
León, D-Woodburn, is one
of the bill’s chief spon-
sors. She emphasized the
bill’s importance during
a recent work session of
the Joint Subcommittee on
Education.
“This is a really great
opportunity for us to
reimagine and rethink about
what post-secondary, higher
ed can look like through the
lens of students,” Alonso
León said.
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than 150% of it (around
$39.70 an hour). Workers
making more than 150%
of the state average would
receive no bonus.
• Frontline workers who
were unemployed during
the pandemic but are back
on the job for at least four
weeks by Oct. 15 would
receive $1,200.
The proposed legis-
lation lists 17 categories
of eligible job categories,
among them health care,
law enforcement, educa-
tion, agriculture, food,
energy, transportation,
communications, defense,
residential shelter work
and hygiene products and
services.
Workers must have
been within 6 feet of the
public while on the job
or cleaned public facili-
ties. Those who worked
remotely would not be
eligible.
The legislation is sure
to face intense competition
for funding as lawmakers
hash out budget priorities
in the remaining weeks of
the legislative session. But
Democratic leaders, who
control both legislative
chambers, have indicated
they are open to the idea.
“Legislators are pri-
oritizing bills that help
communities impacted
by the pandemic. Essen-
tial workers are the people
hit hardest,” Ben Morris,
SEIU spokesman, said in
an email this week. “So
we are hopeful that the
essential worker pay pro-
posal will be among the
bills that get prioritized.”
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