Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced on Thursday she would immediately have the state follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on mask requirements.
Prior to the announcement, the CDC issued new guidance stating that fully vaccinated adults can safely resume indoor and outdoor activities without masks or distancing, including large gatherings.
鈥淥regon will be following this guidance, which only applies to fully vaccinated individuals,鈥� Brown said in a . 鈥淚mmunocompromised people should continue to follow the recommendations of their health care provider.鈥�
All people will still be required to wear masks on public transportation, inside airports and while in health care settings, .
鈥淥regonians now have a choice on how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淓ither get vaccinated or continue wearing a mask and following physical distancing requirements.鈥�
Brown said youths and teachers in schools will still be required to wear masks for this school year. The governor also said businesses can continue to enforce mask requirements for the time being if they do not want to verify the vaccination status of customers. Oregon is expected to issue more specific guidance in the coming days.
The governor described vaccines as the 鈥渇astest way to get back to doing the things we all love.鈥�
Oregon has vaccinated around half its population, with more than 2 million people already receiving at least one dose of vaccine. with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Thursday, following federal guidance.
鈥淚f you have questions about vaccines, that鈥檚 totally normal,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淐all your health care provider to get your questions answered, or visit for great resources.鈥�
This is a developing story. Watch for updates.
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