The Oregon Department of Health will no longer require workers, patients and visitors at health facilities to wear masks beginning April 3, state officials said Friday.
Health officials say the move comes in response to a decline in hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses and a lower rate of people testing positive for COVID-19.
The state’s decision ends one of the final and most visible reminders of pandemic-era restrictions. Adopted closing of bars, seating in restaurants, vaccinations and masks in all public places.
The lifting of obligations applies to a variety of situations, including hospitals, mobile clinics, ambulances, outpatient clinics, dental offices, and school-based health centers. Statewide mask mandates began in August 2021, but individual facilities always had the flexibility to impose stricter rules.
The decision mirrors decisions made by other states, including Washington.
OHA state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger said in a statement that in recent months the state has seen an overall decline in COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. increase.
The proportion of people who have been tested for COVID-19 and are infected has dropped to 10% and is expected to continue to drop. The same rate for influenza is 1.2%. Meanwhile, the positive rate for RSV, a respiratory infection that mostly affects children, is 3.5% in one special test, state officials said.
By setting the April 3 date, state officials are giving the public and providers time to change their policies, training, and procedures, they said.
However, healthcare workers, like educators and staff, should be vaccinated against COVID.
Health officials have advised people who are at high risk of contracting respiratory illness and who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill to continue wearing masks. Masks help prevent people from contracting and spreading respiratory infections.And health facilities can continue to maintain mask requirements if they wish, state officials said.
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