As we alerted yesterday, effective July 1st, Governor Brown announced that face coverings will be required in every Oregon county for all indoor public spaces. After our alert was published, Oregon released updated face mask guidance.
It is important to note that this guidance applies to all Oregon counties except in Clackamas, Clatsop, Hood River, Lincoln, Marion, Multnomah, Polk in Washington Counties; those counties must comply with the County Specific Mask, Face Shield, Face Covering Guidance.
All businesses, specified below, and the general public when visiting these businesses are covered by this mandate. The businesses covered are:
Grocery stores; Fitness-related organizations; Indoor and outdoor entertainment facility operators; Licensed swimming pools, licensed spa pools and sports court operators; Outdoor recreation organizations; Pharmacies; Public transit agencies and providers; Personal services providers; Restaurants, bars, breweries, brewpubs, wineries, tasting rooms and distilleries; Retail stores, shopping centers and malls; Ride sharing services; School aged summertime day camp operators; Recreational sports operators for specified sports; Venue operators.
If your business is not listed above, face masks are not mandated by this order. However, specific sector guidance may apply so please review such guidance by clicking here.
To summarize, the covered businesses must require employees, contractors and volunteers to wear a mask, face shield, or face covering, unless an accommodation is required or an exemption applies. Specifically, employees, contractors, and volunteers do not need to wear face coverings when eating/drinking or when at or in a location where there is no public interaction and six or more feet of distance can be maintained from other people. Transit agencies must require riders to wear face coverings and provide one for a rider that does not have one, except for individuals who by law require an accommodation or exemption, and children under age two.
Moreover, covered businesses must provide masks, face shields, or face coverings for employees. If customers or visitors will be required to wear a mask, face shield or face covering, covered businesses must post clear signs about any such requirements and provide accommodations and exceptions for people with disabilities and medical conditions and children under 12 years of age.
Covered businesses must also review and require employees, contractors and volunteers to review OHA’s Mask and Face Covering Guidance for Business, Transit, and the Public Frequently Asked Questions to learn about how requiring people to wear face coverings affects people differently including people with disabilities and people of color who may have heightened concerns about racial profiling and harassment due to wearing face coverings in public.
Covered businesses should but are not required to provide, at no cost, at least disposable face coverings for customers and visitors who do not have one; post signs about the mask, face shield, or face covering requirement in languages that are commonly spoken by customers and visitors; and educate employees on how to safely work and communicate with people who cannot wear masks, face shields, or face coverings and that they may need to remove a mask or face covering while communicating with an individual who needs to read lips or see facial expressions to communicate.
Additionally, the guidance strongly recommends that all individuals, including children between 2 and 12 years of age, wear face coverings at all times in all indoor public places, especially places where six feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained at all times, and where vulnerable people must go.
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.