Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued an informal ultimatum Wednesday to the state’s 4.2 million residents, telling them to comply with new rules to wear masks in indoor public settings as part of a last-ditch effort to slow coronavirus before more severe measures are again necessary.
Although coronavirus warning signs are already present largely across the board, Brown wants to see if the statewide mask requirement that took effect Wednesday allows her to sidestep business closures or other restrictions that could be economically devastating.
“Your actions will determine whether our businesses across the state can stay open,” Brown implored Oregonians during an hour-long news conference. “And your actions will determine, frankly, whether we can open schools in the fall.”
Brown’s comments came on the 100th day since she announced a statewide stay-home order, which remained in effect until some counties began reopening May 15. Brown said she did not regret easing restrictions then, as opposed to waiting until June 1, even though that window could have allowed infections to further inch downward.
Infections in Oregon have skyrocketed since, as they have across many states. Wednesday’s daily case count set a new record of 281, pushing the total to 8,931 confirmed or presumed infections.
Brown said the new mask requirement for people 12 and older will be enforceable by law and violators could be subject to a misdemeanor. But in the same breath Brown said she does not want police officers to enforce it, hoping instead for voluntary compliance.
“I do not want the local police issuing tickets,” she said. “Instead, I’m calling upon our businesses to step up and help ensure that the public and their employees are protected.”
Brown said the state is working with the business community and state agencies on education and information before moving to enforcement. But she said if a business ignores the rule, officials stand ready to follow complaints “using all the tools available to ensure enforcement.”
Recognizing the potential for pushback from customers, Brown said businesses should call Oregon OSHA with questions or concerns. She recommended that owners work to “de-escalate” any tense situations with patrons who do not want to wear masks.
In an apparent reference to the politics of the mandate, Brown called it a “very difficult step” at one point. Yet Brown said nearly 20 other states also require masks and said “wearing a face covering is a simple, common sense way to protect yourself and others.”
Brown suggested the mask mandate was among “very serious steps” she implemented but would not say if or when, specifically, the Oregon Health Authority recommended such action. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state health officer and epidemiologist, said it had been part of an ongoing discussion.
“As the disease became more prevalent, that certainly became one of the tools we talked about, not at a specific date or a specific time,” he said.
Modeling released by the agency last week suggested Oregon could see soaring infection and hospitalization counts if current trends continued or got worse. That ominous forecast, used for planning purposes, did not consider what might happen with a statewide mask order.
Sidelinger was asked at the time why the state wasn’t requiring masks statewide, and he demurred, saying: “Requirement or not, it’s a good idea.”
Brown announced the mask mandate Monday.
On Wednesday Brown said it is her “sincere hope” she does not have to shut down businesses, as she did in March through her stay-home order, because cases climb to overwhelming levels.
Most indicators suggest Oregon is trending the wrong direction: daily cases are at all-time highs and people who are tested are more likely to be positive. At the same time, the state is failing to meet benchmarks for declining hospitalizations and the level of unidentified community spread.
Even so, Oregon has fared much better than many other states, with infections and deaths among the lowest nationwide. Active hospitalizations for confirmed COVID-19 cases have been climbing, reaching 118 Wednesday, but Oregon’s hospitals have hundreds of available beds and ventilators.
It could take two to three weeks to determine how the mandate may impact Oregon’s case counts, said Dr. Renee Edwards, the chief medical officer for Oregon Health & Science University.
Edwards called masks a “common sense” tool to limit the spread of respiratory droplets that carry the infection.
If Oregonians recognize that “now is the time to put on the mask and the facial coverings,” she said, “that might be an important intervention to get us where we need to be, two to three weeks from now, such that we don’t need more severe interventions.”
-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt