July 29, 2021 1:50 p.m. 

On Thursday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown directed the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education to create a rule requiring masks indoors for K-12 schools statewide for the upcoming school year.

A release said this should be in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recently updated guidance, and based on the latest science on the spread of the Delta variant.

Brown said, “The science and data are clear: the Delta variant is in our communities and it is more contagious”. Brown said her priority is to ensure our kids are able to safely return to full-time in-person learning this fall, five days per week and with minimal disruptions. She said with many children still ineligible to be vaccinated, “…masks are an effective way to help keep our children safe in the classroom, the learning environment we know serves them best”.

Brown said she is also asking Oregonians statewide to mask up in public indoor spaces. She said officials are working hard to vaccinate more people, “…so we can finally beat this virus once and for all”. Brown said vaccines remain the most effective and best way “…to protect ourselves and our families”.