Governor Kate Brown on Friday signed an executive order to lift all remaining COVID-19 safety restrictions in Oregon.
The recovery-focused order will go into effect when the state reaches the 70 percent of the adult population vaccinated with at least one dose-- or on Wednesday, June 30—whichever comes first.
“That means no more statewide mask mandates in most settings, no required capacity limits and no required physical distancing," she said "It means effectively, Oregon is 100 percent open for business.”
Calling this a pivotal moment for the state, Brown acknowledged the sacrifices made by residents and the difficulties faced by many members of BIPOC communities.
Over 2 point 3 million Oregonians have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Brown said she expects to hit the 70 percent adult vax goal in the next several days.
The recovery order signed by the governor Friday morning rescinds Executive Order 20-66, which came after Brown's “Stay Home, Save Lives” order and the subsequent “Safe and Strong Oregon” orders, which authorized Oregon’s statewide mask mandate and the county risk level framework--including restrictions on businesses for physical distancing, capacity limits, hours of operation, and others. The recovery order also rescinds Executive Order Order 20-22 (Non-urgent Healthcare Procedures), Executive Order 21-06 (K-12 Schools), Executive Order 20-28 (Higher Education), and Executive Order 20-19 (Childcare Facilities.)
The recovery order extends the emergency declaration for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor’s emergency authority will be limited in focus to COVID-19 recovery efforts, similar to the recovery executive order currently in place for 2020 wildfire season recovery.
As to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions throughout Oregon (no later than June 30) Brown said, "We are ready."
