THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
OREGON NEWS
Oregon extends mask, distancing
rules for businesses indefinitely
By Sara Cline
Associated Press/Report for America
PORTLAND — Oregon
adopted a controversial rule
on Tuesday, May 4 that in-
defi nitely extends coronavirus
mask and social distancing re-
quirements for all businesses
in the state.
State offi cials say the rule,
which garnered thousands
of public comments, will be
in place until it is “no longer
necessary to address the
effects of the pandemic in the
workplace.”
“We reviewed all of the
comments – including the
many comments that opposed
the rule – and we gave par-
ticular consideration to those
comments that explained
their reasoning or provided
concrete information,” said
Michael Wood, administra-
tor of the state’s department
of Occupational Safety and
Health. “Although we chose to
move forward with the rule,
the fi nal product includes a
number of changes based on
that record.”
Oregon, which has been
among those with the
country’s most stringent
COVID-19 restrictions, had
previously had a mask rule
for businesses, but it was
only temporary and could
not be extended beyond 180
days. That prompted Wood to
create a permanent rule with
the intent to repeal it at some
point.
“To allow the workplace
COVID-19 protections to
simply go away would have
creased county risk levels.
Last week Oregon re-
corded the fastest-growing
COVID-19 infection rate in
the nation, and as a result
Brown implemented further
restrictions in 15 counties,
including banning indoor din-
ing at restaurants and bars
and signifi cantly decreasing
capacity in gyms and indoor
entertainment spaces.
The restrictions were criti-
cized by business owners and
Republican lawmakers.
On Tuesday, those coun-
Jake Crandall/Montgomtery (Alabama) Advertiser-TNS ties were moved back a level,
Face masks will be required for the time being in all busi- effective Friday, because the
nesses in Oregon.
statewide seven-day aver-
age increase for hospitalized
left workers far less pro-
The rule requires that em- COVID-19 positive patients
tected. And it would have left ployers make sure that under dropped below 15 percent.
employers who want to know most circumstances people
This means indoor dining
what is expected of them with wear masks while working
and other activities will be
a good deal less clarity than
inside and use face cover-
allowed.
the rule provides,” Wood said. ings outside if they have to
“With Oregonians con-
But the proposal prompted be within six feet of people. It tinuing to get vaccinated
a fl ood of angry responses,
also mandates that business- each week, my expectation
with everyone from parents to es make sure people aren’t
is that we will not return to
teachers to business owners
within six feet of each other – Extreme Risk again for the
and employees crying govern- unless that’s not practical for duration of this pandemic,”
ment overreach.
certain activities.
Brown said.
Wood’s agency received
The agency said it would
So far, about one-third of
more than 5,000 comments — be considered if the rule can Oregon’s population has been
mostly critical — and nearly be repealed, starting no later fully vaccinated.
70,000 residents signed a peti- than July.
Around 75% of the state’s
tion against the rule.
Besides mask and dis-
staffed adult ICU beds and
Opponents raised concerns tancing requirements, the
about 85% of the state’s
that there is no sunset date or rule — which also includes
staffed adult non-ICU beds
specifi c metric for when the
requirements and guidelines are occupied, based on Or-
rule would automatically be
regarding air fl ow, ventila-
egon Health Authority data
repealed. As a result, Wood
tion, employee notifi cation
provided.
said the fi nal rule includes
in case of an outbreak, and
In the past month, CO-
considerably more detail
sanitation protocols — dove- VID-19 hospitalizations in Or-
about the process and criteria tails with separate actions
egon have more than doubled,
that will be used to make the and restrictions by Gov. Kate with 345 people hospitalized
decision to repeal the rule.
Brown, the latest being in-
with the virus as of Tuesday.
PARTIES
Continued from Page 3A
Some residents called the
Eugene Police Department and
offi cers assisted the university in
dispersing the partygoers. Callers
reported loud music and students
urinating in the front yard of one
home where one student witness
snapped a photo that circulated
widely on social media, The Regis-
ter Guard reported.
One woman fell off the roof
and was taken to the hospital by
ambulance.
Student Joseph Hill, who took
the picture, said there was a party
of similar size a few nights before
at the same address.
Hill’s Twitter post quickly
got a lot of reaction online, from
students, alumni and professors
who commented that they were
disappointed in these students,
some who they recognized.
“There were a lot of those
Legislature won’t
have oversight of
governor’s powers
■ House decides not to consider bill
By Andrew Selsky
Associated Press
SALEM — Members of the Oregon House narrowly
defeated a move on Tuesday to consider a bill that
would give the Legislature oversight of the governor’s
emergency powers, enacted most recently to address
the coronavirus pandemic.
The motion by Rep. Rick Lewis, R-Silverton, who
along with a Democrat is one of the two chief sponsors
of the bill, to pull the bill from the rules committee and
fast-track a House fl oor vote was defeated with 28 votes
against and 27 in favor.
Several Democrats were among those in favor, as
were all Republicans who were present. The other chief
co-sponsor of the bill is Rep. Marty Wilde, D-Eugene.
The House Republican caucus said in a statement
after the vote that it wants “to make the governor ac-
countable to the Legislature.”
The bill requires that declarations and extensions of
states of emergency under certain statutes be accompa-
nied by written explanations. It also provides that, after
termination of a state of emergency, the governor may
not declare another state of emergency for the same
purpose unless the Legislature authorizes it.
In its statement, the Republican caucus complained
that Gov. Kate Brown, in unilaterally extending her
own emergency powers, has “the ability to issue shut-
downs without involving another governing body.”
Last week, the Democratic governor announced
that she was moving 15 counties into the extreme risk
category for the coronavirus, which imposes restrictions
that include banning indoor restaurant dining. Some
of the state’s biggest cities, including Portland, Salem,
Bend and Eugene, are in the counties that on Friday
became classifi ed in the most dire category.
The bill remains alive in the rules committee, where
the committee chair can schedule it for a public hearing
at any time before the end of the session.
Republican lawmakers in the Legislature controlled
by Democrats have sponsored several other measures
aimed at curtailing the governor’s emergency powers.
photo-truther people,” Hill told
the newspaper. “Even now there
are people still tweeting and
saying, ‘Oh, this is from 2015.’ I
was pretty shocked at how many
people were insisting that it was
an old photo, and people were able
to disprove them pretty quickly in
the comments.”
But not everyone was so defen-
sive, he said.
“There’s also been a lot of stu-
dents reacting saying they’re dis-
appointed in their peers. There’s
some people even being really
dramatic and saying, ‘If you’re
in the photo I will not be friends
with you,’ and stuff like that.”
It’s more
than a job,
it’s a calling.
It has been a year like no other. Despite
the challenges, our colleagues have
courageously embraced our mission
and have been unwavering in their
calling to serve.
This Nurses Week,
and every week,
we honor you.
We thank you.
We celebrate you.