Governor Kate Brown has directed the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education to create a rule to require masks indoors for K-12 schools statewide for the 2021-22 school year, in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recently updated guidance, and based on the spread of the Delta variant.

“The science and data are clear: the Delta variant is in our communities, and it is more contagious,” said Governor Brown. “My priority is to ensure our kids are able to safely return to full-time in-person learning this fall, five days per week and with minimal disruptions. With many children still ineligible to be vaccinated, masks are an effective way to help keep our kids safe in the classroom, the learning environment we know serves them best.

She continued, “In the meantime, as we ask Oregonians statewide to mask up in public indoor spaces, we will continue working hard to vaccinate more people so we can finally beat this virus once and for all. Vaccines remain the most effective and best way to protect ourselves and our families.”

Critics are noting the lack of precise scientific considerations in such a statewide mandate, considering also that school children have been found to not be "super-spreaders" of the disease. Critics also wonder if the Kate Brown administration simply has trouble letting go of governmental powers it has acquired during the era of COVID-19 restrictions.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-07-29 15:27:30

Last Update: 2021-07-29 15:42:07