SALEM, Ore. – *UPDATE* — Governor Kate Brown issued a statement Tuesday encouraging Oregonians to keep up ‘stay at home’ practices. She also recommended that Oregonians consider wearing masks if they are going out to keep themselves and their community safe.
“Almost anything will help you from infecting others,” said Jackson County Public Health Officer Dr. Jim Shames who like many others is encouraging everyone to wear masks when going to public areas like grocery stores.
Data from the state has been showing, so far, efforts like social distancing and washing hands are slowing the spread of coronavirus. Now masks are needed as well.
“You know everybody has something and actually everybody really does, I think that wouldn’t be a bad idea to have everybody masked,” said Dr. Shames. “I think it would be an equalizer.”
People might remember a month ago, health experts were advising that masks were only needed for people showing symptoms. However, Dr. Shames says as cases rise, new studies showed the CDC it needed to update its guidelines.
“A significant number of people can infect others and have no idea that they have the disease,” he said. “So what that means is when you’re interfacing with the public you have to assume everybody could be transmitting the disease to you.”
In a statement released by Governor Brown’s office, the governor encouraged people to wear masks saying:
“Like every other strategy we have used to address this crisis, wearing homemade masks will only be effective if we all work together. Continue to stay home to the maximum extent possible, and add wearing a homemade mask to the list of precautions you are practicing when you go out in public.”
Jackson County was one of the first in the state to recommend everyone wear masks when going out. Dr. Shames says it’s just one more step to make sure everyone stays as safe as possible.
“It should be an additional layer of safety and there’s very little downside,” he said.
Dr. Shames says if it’s multilayered and is secure around your face, it should do the trick. If you would like to know what kind of materials are best for your mask, the CDC has a page and Dr. Shames recommends checking out several articles published by the New York Times on what materials work best.
You’re still asked to leave *medical masks to health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued a statement following the CDC’s latest guidance about using face masks in public.
She issued the following comments on the morning of April 7:
“This is a rapidly-evolving situation, and each day we learn more about this virus,” said Governor Brown. “Early in this pandemic, health experts advised that masks were not an effective way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Now, the CDC has updated their guidance regarding the use of cloth, homemade masks in public: they now say that wearing cloth masks in public places like grocery stores can help prevent those who are sick––particularly unknowingly infected, asymptomatic people––from spreading the virus further.
“That last point is a very important detail: wearing a cloth mask may not keep you from getting sick, but it can help you prevent spreading the virus to others.
“The best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 is to keep following the strict social distancing guidelines we put in place early in our outbreak. Staying home is saving lives in Oregon. When you’re in public for essential activities like grocery shopping, stay six feet away from other people. Continue to wash your hands and properly cover your coughs and sneezes. I know this hasn’t been easy, and I appreciate the sacrifices Oregonians have made. The Oregon Health Authority’s projections for the outbreak in Oregon indicate that the social distancing measures we’ve put into place may be working to stop the spread of the virus, and we must stay the course.
“Like every other strategy we have used to address this crisis, wearing homemade masks will only be effective if we all work together. Continue to stay home to the maximum extent possible, and add wearing a homemade mask to the list of precautions you are practicing when you go out in public. Make sure you are still abiding by all the social distancing measures we have in place. And, please only wear homemade masks, not medical masks that are desperately needed by our frontline health care workers treating COVID-19 patients.
“We are all in this together. So, let’s do everything we can to help those on the front lines of this fight.”
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