AUGUST 13, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
Gov. Brown mandates masks indoors,
state employee COVID-19 vaccination
GOV. BROWN
BY RACHEL ALEXANDER
For the Keizertimes
Masks are making a comeback in
Keizer, Salem and across Oregon.
Gov. Kate Brown announced
Tuesday afternoon that Oregonians
will again be required to wear masks
indoors as the state sees a surge in new
Covid infections and hospitalizations.
The mask mandate will go into effect
on Friday, Aug. 13.
State employees working for the
executive branch must also be vacci-
nated against Covid on or before Oct.
18, or six weeks after a Covid vaccine
receives full approval from the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, which-
ever is later, the governor said in a news
release.
President Joe Biden has said full
FDA approval is expected in the fall.
The executive branch includes all
state agency employees, as well as
employees of boards, commissions and
other departments that report to the
governor or another statewide elected
official.
The policy will have an outsized
impact in Salem, where about 20,000
state employees live, according to the
city’s most recent annual financial
report. That’s nearly one-quarter of
Salem’s workforce.
As of Monday, 91 people in the
Willamette Valley region were hospital-
ized with Covid, up from 46 one week
ago, according to the Oregon Health
Authority. That number is approach-
ing the peak of 108 hospitalizations the
region recorded in early December. It
includes data from Marion, Polk, Linn,
Benton, Yamhill and Lincoln counties.
Brown’s announcement is the lat-
est statewide mandate intended to
curb that growth. On Aug. 4, she said
Oregon’s health care workers should
prepare for regular Covid tests if they’re
unwilling to get vaccinated against
the virus. The week before, Brown
announced masks would be required
for students, employees and visitors
in all K-12 Oregon schools in the fall,
regardless of vaccination status.
Brown acted after Oregon Health
& Science University released a state-
ment Tuesday calling for “immediate
action” to reduce the number of new
Covid cases. The hospital predicted
a shortage of 400-500 staffed hospital
beds around the state by Labor Day
if new infections continue at the pro-
jected pace.
“It’s a shocking number and one
that was repeatedly checked against
other available data and the effects of
the current surge observed in other
states,” the statement said. “Oregon is
in a difficult position because we have
the fewest available hospital beds per
capita than anywhere else in the United
States. Hospitals are also simultane-
ously experiencing severe staff burnout
and workforce shortages.”
She cited the dire predictions in her
news release Tuesday, Aug. 10.
“There are two keys to saving lives.
Vaccination is the best way to protect
yourself and your family against severe
illness, hospitalization, and death. And,
by wearing masks, all of us––vaccinated
and unvaccinated––can help ensure
that a hospital bed staffed by health
professionals is available for our loved
ones in their time of need. If we all do
our part, we can beat COVID-19 once
and for all, keep our economy open
and thriving, and return our kids to the
classroom with minimal disruptions in
a few weeks,” Brown said in a statement.
The new directives are a reversal
from her earlier stance that pandemic
restrictions would be left under local
control following her lifting of most
restrictions on July 1. Local jurisdic-
tions have shown little appetite to enact
mandates as new Covid infections and
hospitalizations have climbed in recent
weeks.
Commissioners in both Marion and
Polk said they weren’t considering
indoor mask mandates on Aug. 6, say-
ing it’s up to people to make their own
choices about their health.
Brown’s statement Tuesday acknowl-
edged the mask mandate would not be
popular, but said it was necessary to
slow the spread of the more infectious
Delta variant of the virus.
“The latest science is clear: although
unvaccinated individuals are more
likely to contract the disease, both vac-
cinated and unvaccinated people can
spread the Delta variant. Masks are a
simple and effective way to make sure
you are not unknowingly infecting your
friends, family members, neighbors,
and colleagues,” Brown said in a state-
ment. “After a year and a half of this
pandemic, I know Oregonians are tired
of health and safety restrictions. This
new mask requirement will not last for-
ever, but it is a measure that can save
lives right now. It will help to protect all
of us, including people who are immu-
nocompromised, and our children
under 12 who are not yet eligible to get
vaccinated. Masks are a simple and
effective tool that will keep our schools,
businesses, and communities open.”
Brown said the vaccination require-
ment would apply to all state agency
employees, as well as those working
for the Oregon State Treasury, Oregon
Secretary of State’s Office, Oregon
Bureau of Labor & Industries and the
Oregon Department of Justice.
Employees will be required to show
proof of vaccination by the October
deadline.
“Individuals unable to be vaccinated
due to disability or sincerely held reli-
gious belief may be able to qualify for
an exception, as required by state and
federal law. State of Oregon employees
will not have the option of weekly test-
ing instead of showing proof of vacci-
nation,” Brown’s statement said.
The rule won’t apply to legislative or
judicial branch employees.
Oregon’s
Department
of
Administrative Services does not have
data on how many state employees are
currently vaccinated against Covid,
spokeswoman Andrea Chiapella said.
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