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Gov. Brown mandates masks in indoor public spaces for all of Oregon By Ryan Pfeil of the Mail Tribune Jun 29, 2020 02:03 PM A A Starting Wednesday, all Oregonians will be required to wear masks in indoor public spaces to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a news release from Gov. Kate Brown. The rule will apply to business employees and members of the public who visit indoor public spaces. “From the beginning of the reopening process, I have said that reopening comes with the risk of seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases beyond our health systems’ capacity to test, trace and isolate them,” Brown said in the release. “Over the last month, we have seen the disease spread at an alarming rate in both urban and rural counties. The upcoming July 4th holiday weekend is a critical point for Oregon in this pandemic, and we can all make a difference.” In the original mandate for select Oregon counties issued June 19, Brown’s office defined an indoor public space as places that are either “publicly owned or privately owned, where the public has access by right or invitation, express or implied, whether by payment of money or not.” This includes businesses such as grocery stores, gyms, pharmacies, restaurants, bars, retail stores, malls and personal service providers such as barbers and nail salons. For counties in the phase two stage of reopening, it also extends to indoor swimming pools, spa pools and sports courts and indoor entertainment facilities. “Such spaces may include, but are not limited to, building lobbies or common spaces, elevators, and buildings or meeting rooms outside of private homes where people gather for social, civic, cultural or religious purposes,” the release says. How the mandate will be enforced was not immediately available. Brown said Oregon Occupational Safety and Health would “take the lead.” “If businesses do not implement these requirements, OSHA and other relevant agencies, such as OLCC or the Health Licensing Office, can and will take enforcement action,” said Charles Boyle, deputy communications director for Gov. Brown. Masks are already required in public spaces in eight Northern Oregon counties, including Multnomah, Marion, Polk and Washington. “Face coverings that cover your nose and mouth play a critical role in reducing the spread of this disease because droplets from our breath can carry the virus to others without us realizing it,” Brown said in the release. “If we all wear face coverings, practice 6 feet of physical distancing in public, wash our hands regularly, and stay home when we are sick, then we can avoid the worst-case scenarios that are now playing out in other states.” Recent modeling from the Oregon Health Authority and the Institute for Disease Modeling predicts that daily case levels could rise up to 20 percentage points. The modeling provided three projections: “optimistic,” “moderate,” and “pessimistic.” Modeling assumes that testing remains at about 4,000 people per day. The “optimistic” scenario — the least likely, OHA officials say — shows case counts would remain at about 180 per day for the next month. It also assumes the numbers are due to higher testing. The “moderate” scenario suggests COVID-19 infections could reach more than 900 per day, with daily hospitalizations rising from about eight to 27. That model is due to expanded testing and increased transmission. The “pessimistic” scenario suggests the rise in cases would be entirely due to increased transmission and not expanded testing, saying that infections could rise to more than 5,000 a day, and that hospitalizations could increase from eight to 82 per day. “Modeling from the Oregon Health Authority shows that if we don’t take further action to reduce the spread of the disease, our hospitals could be overwhelmed by new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations within weeks,” Brown said in the release. “The choices every single one of us make in the coming days matter.” Oregon saw two more deaths from the illness and 146 more cases of COVID-19 Monday. The state’s death toll rose to 204, the number of cases to 8,485. Jackson County reported three more cases of the illness, bringing its total to 109, according to Jackson County Public Health. Of that number, 65 people are considered recovered, with 44 active cases. As of Monday, there had been no deaths from the illness in Jackson County. Josephine County reported six new cases, bringing its total caseload to 37. Of that number, 26 have recovered, with one death. Jackson County Medical Director Dr. Jim Shames concurred with Brown’s announcement. “What’s amazing is there are things we can do that aren’t much of a hardship and have a profound effect on the spread of the virus,” Shames said. “Masking is one of those things. It’s really frustrating for me to go out and see people going in and out of stores and shopping and congregating close together and not wearing masks. I think [wearing masks] is a good idea. It’s clear to me that unless it’s a mandate coming from the governor that some people just aren’t going to follow the advice. I think it was needed, and I’m hoping it will change people’s behaviors.” Shames added he hopes the mandate will raise awareness and expand mask use to other situations that aren’t in public spaces such as family gatherings. On Sunday, public health officials reported nine new cases. “It also looks like we might have at least one ‘super spreader,’ that is, somebody who is sort of highly infectious,” Shames said. “And wherever that person goes, clusters of infection follow. These are well-known situations. That is the reason we ask people to wear masks. So many people are asymptomatic, and the other thing we’re recognizing is some people have minor symptoms, and they just don’t think to get tested.” Of Jackson County’s 44 active cases, three patients are children younger than 10, two are between 10 and 19, nine are in their 20s, six are in their 30s, nine are in their 40s, nine are in their 50s, four are in their 60s, one each from the 70s and “80 and over” categories. Ten local patients have been hospitalized, county data show. Mail Tribune file photo A man wears at mask while shopping at Walmart in Medford. Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune Linda Golden, of Medford, shops at Sherm's Thunderbird Market in Medford on Monday.