PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — States around the country are lifting COVID-19 restrictions. But Oregon is poised to go the opposite direction, and many residents are fuming about it. A top health official is considering indefinitely extending rules requiring masks and social distancing in all workplaces in the state. The proposal would keep the rules in place until they’re “no longer necessary.” The administrator of Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health department says the “permanent” rules are needed because of a technicality in state law that allows the current restrictions to expire. But the idea has prompted a flood of angry responses, with many residents calling it vast government overreach.
As mask mandates end, Oregon bucks trend with permanent rule
