Brown’s emergency declaration will end on April Fools Day
By Terry Murry on Thursday, February 24th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News Featured Stories
SALEM – Gov. Kate Brown will lift her COVID-19 emergency declaration on April 1. The decision is due to the continuing drop of hospitalizations and case numbers as the Omicron variant recedes.
The Oregon Health Authority is lifting all indoor masking and school masking requirements as of March 19. That is due to hospitalization rates falling quicker than anticipated. In addition, the state government offices masking requirement will lift on March 31.
Health officials strongly recommend masking in K-12 environments where children are present. They also recommend that people in high-risk groups continue to wear masks after the restrictions are lifted.
Safety requirements in place today regarding masks and vaccinations are not a part of the emergency declaration. They are covered by state or federal administrative rules by various agencies.
