With every day that passes, there is a growing number of states across the United States that continue to rescind their mask mandates. They are doing this because the COVID-19 have proven to be highly effective in fending off this vaccine.

However, Oregon doesn’t seem to be in that category. Instead, they are going in the opposite direction.

The Details of Oregon’s Highly Liberal Decision

Apparently, there is a top Oregon official that is considering making wearing a mask a “permanent rule”, along with enforcing social distancing and making it mandatory to wear masks in a workplace. Evidently, a mask is going to become a standard part of your wardrobe if you live in the Beaver State.

Current regulations for masks will expire on May 4th. However, Michael Wood, the administrator of Oregon’s Department of Occupation Safety and Health, has reportedly said that he intends to revise state regulations and extend this mandate until it has been “repealed or revised.”

His proposal intends to repeal this permanent rule once officials no longer deem these face masks as necessary.

Take a look at the following:

“Although this rule must be adopted as permanent, the main purpose of this designation is to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oregon OSHA department is planning on repealing the rule when addressing this pandemic is no longer necessary. Of course, it is not possible to assign a specific time for this decision. With that in mind, Oregon OSHA plans to consult with the Oregon OSHA Partnership Committee, the Oregon Health Authority, and several other stakeholders so that we can address the circumstances as they come in order to determine when a portion or all of this rule can be changed.”

“I can’t say that we’re out of the woods yet,” Michael Wood said. He also claimed that this proposal is only “driven by this pandemic, and we fully plan on repealing it.” However, he also admitted that “it’s possible that this proposal won’t go away at the same time that our state emergency is lifted.”

Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) also signed an extension of the COVID state of emergency designation in late February. In doing so, she ensured that her state had some of the strictest COVID restriction in the United States.

What Kind of Reaction Was There?

Because of Michael Wood’s decision, his office has been swamped with “a tremendous number of public comments, and 60,000 concerned Oregon residents signed a petition against this proposal.”

Many of the concerns have stemmed from officials that refuse to provide the specific metrics that would trigger the “permanent rule” to be lifted. Moreover, it doesn’t take into account just how quickly many Americans continue to be vaccinated. Of course, there are still public officials such as Dr. Anthony Fauci who insist that even those who have received the vaccine should still wear their masks.

“If you get a vaccine, then my view is that you are immune. So, you should act immune,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said.

“How long are we going to make businesses play ‘mask cop’? We’ve been doing that for the better part of a year now,” Oregon State Senator Kim Thatcher said.

What is your position on this? Your comments are appreciated!