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These 9 Oregon counties should start wearing masks indoors again, CDC says

Amanda Arden

Signs tells customers about safety measures against COVID-19 that are required inside a retail store Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Dallas. Texas is lifting a COVID-19 mask mandate that was imposed last summer but has only been lightly enforced. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement Tuesday makes Texas the largest state to do away with a face covering order. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Editor’s note: The CDC has released the latest community risk levels.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Residents and visitors in nine Oregon counties should begin wearing masks indoors in public and on public transportation because their COVID-19 community levels are considered “high,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. 

Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Lane, Douglas, Coos, Jackson, Klamath and Lake counties all have COVID-19 community levels rated “high,” meaning they have had 200 or more new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days or they’ve had more than 20 new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people within a seven-day period.  

Below are the data that qualify the counties for the high COVID-19 community levels as of June 23, 2022 – the most up-to-date information the CDC has available. 

With COVID-19 levels this high, the CDC says anyone at risk for severe illness in these communities should consider taking additional precautions besides simply wearing a mask, like staying 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and washing their hands often.  

Hood River County Health Department posted to social media on Saturday warning the public of the high community risk levels. It said the health department is aware of an increased number of emergency department visits for COVID-19. 

“While a single metric can not predict your risk of getting COVID-19 or becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, the CDC community levels are one metric to use for your decision-making,” the department stated. 

The county said it is keeping an eye on additional COVID-19 indicators and said it will communicate with the public if a concerning pattern arises. 

The health department supported what the CDC advises and said people can slow the virus transmission by getting vaccinated and boosted, by testing and masking – especially in crowded indoor spaces. 

The number of COVID-19 cases in Oregon over the last seven-day period for which data is available, June 17-23, is 10,934.