NEWS
Mask Off WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM / MAY 20, 2021 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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Gov Kate Brown announces lifting of mask mandates for vaccinated people in certain settings—but schools, public transportation and health care clinics are among the places mandates remain in place By Jack Harvel
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he more than year-long mandate requiring masks in public places in Oregon will soon be lifted for people with proof they've been vaccinated in accordance with new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. “Starting today, Oregon will be following this guidance, which only applies to fully vaccinated individuals,” Gov. Kate Brown said in a statement May 13. “That means Oregonians who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks or social distance in most public spaces.” The new guidelines are another sign that the pandemic is coming closer to an end, Brown said. Still, there will be several exceptions for the lifting of the mandate; masks are still required in public transportation, hospitals, health care clinics, correctional facilities and long-term care facilities. The plan for schools remains the same, with students required to wear masks and distanced while inside the buildings. Locally, a statement from St. Charles Health System stated there would be no change to current policies for its health facilities. “Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control announced that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19
Courtesy Pixabay
can stop wearing masks and physically distancing in certain places, with exceptions that include health care facilities,” a press release from St. Charles stated May 14. “This means there will be no changes to St. Charles Health System’s current policies that require masking and distancing in our hospitals, clinics and other sites. All patients, visitors and caregivers are still required to wear a mask or face covering at St. Charles.” The health system will continue to update its policies along CDC guidelines once they become available, the release stated. Meanwhile, Brown said immune-compromised people should continue wearing masks and ask their health care providers about changing their personal protective measures. Guidance for the reopening process were released on Tuesday, which specified that proof of vaccination is requird to remove mask requirements. “Some businesses may prefer to simply continue operating under the current guidance for now, rather than worrying about verifying vaccination status,” Brown said. “Oregonians now have a choice of how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19: either get vaccinated, or continue
wearing a mask and following physical distancing requirements.” So far, Oregon has fully vaccinated just under 40% of its total population. Earlier statements from the governor said a 70% vaccination rate among people aged 16 and over would
allow the state to ditch most restrictions, and 65% for individual counties. On Tuesday Gov. Brown announced Deschutes, along with four other counties, had reached that benchmark and would be eligible as low risk by Friday, May 21.
Sick as a Dog
With Central Oregon lacking 24-hour emergency veterinary services, veterinarians are stepping up to treat patients By Jack Harvel Courtesy Marco Verch
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n May 1, Bend Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Clinic cut back its hours in response to a staffing shortage, leaving Central Oregon without a 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic. The new hours are 2 pm to midnight on weekdays and 8 am to midnight on weekends. Without this critical service, some vets are stepping up and treating patients when an emergency arises. “There are regular vets in town that have stepped up and are seeing their patients in the middle of the night,” said Dr. Shalet Abraham, a vet at Bend Specialty and Emergency Clinic. “There are several practices in town that are doing on-call emergencies in the night until we’re able to step back up and hire and have full 24/7 service again.” Without an emergency room, Abraham said pet owners should establish a relationship with a veterinarian in town and discuss options for
emergency care. The clinic isn’t cutting hours permanently, but for now the change is indefinite. “That is our ultimate goal, and our ultimate hope is to get back to 24/7 service, but we don’t know exactly when the timeline on that will be,” Abraham said. The issue could be tricky for people new in town who haven’t had a chance to meet a local vet, and for tourists who bring their pets to Bend. “It’s gonna be a little tougher for that for them, unfortunately, than the people who have regular vets here in town,” Abraham said. “They may need to make some phone calls around to some regular events and see if somebody would be able to come in and see them. Or, worst case scenario they may have to drive to either Southern Oregon or Eugene. That’s where the closest other 24-hour hospitals are right now.”
