OHA: Vaccinated Oregonians don't need masks indoors - if businesses check vaccine status

PORTLAND, Ore. – Fully vaccinated Oregonians no longer need to wear a mask indoors in most places, as long as businesses first check their proof of vaccination, state health officials said Tuesday.

The Oregon Health Authority announced changes in guidance to follow similar changes put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week.

Health officials say people will still need to wear masks in public places where their vaccination status has not been checked.

If a business, employer or faith institution chooses to no longer require masks and physical distancing, [they] must require visitors to show proof of vaccination and review the proof of vaccination.

Businesses are still allowed to keep their own mask requirements in place if they choose, health officials said.

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Vaccine records have your name, birthdate, the type of shot you received, and the vaccination site. It can be the paper vaccine card people received when they got the shot, a printed copy, or a photo or screenshot on your phone that has that information.

The OHA said that mask requirements no longer apply to anyone outdoors, however, they still recommend people wear them in crowded areas and large gatherings (like sporting events) and keep physical distance as much as possible.

The CDC's recent changes in national guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters but will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools, and other venues — even removing the need for masks or social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.

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“Masks continue to save lives and protect people who are not vaccinated. However, last week’s announcement from the CDC emphasizes the point that safe and effective vaccines are the very best way to protect people from getting and spreading COVID,"OHA Director Patrick Allen said. “That’s why it’s safer for life to look more like normal for people who are fully vaccinated. And why people who haven’t had a chance to get vaccinated should do so as soon as they can.”

Below are the primary changes to the state's guidance announced by the Oregon Health Authority:

• Individuals in Oregon are no longer required to wear a face mask or physically distance, whether indoors or outdoors, two weeks after their final COVID-19 vaccination dose. A “fully vaccinated individual” is a person who has received both doses of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine and at least 14 days have passed since the individual’s final dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
• However, fully vaccinated individuals are required to continue wearing a mask and observe physical distancing on public transportation and in schools, hospitals and clinics, homeless shelters, youth and adult correctional facilities and long-term care facilities.
• Businesses, employers and faith institutions can choose to no longer require masks and physical distancing for fully vaccinated individuals or continue to require masks and physical distancing in their locations for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status.
• If a business, employer or faith institution chooses to no longer require masks and physical distancing, the business, employer or faith institution must require visitors to show proof of vaccination and review the proof of vaccination. In that case, a business would need to have a policy for checking the vaccination status of customers and employees if they are not wearing masks. Fully vaccinated individuals would need to provide proof they’d been vaccinated if they want to remove face coverings and not observe physical distancing guidelines.

See the full guidance set forth by the Oregon Health Authority below: