PORTLAND, Ore. — Masks are no longer required at outdoor high school sporting events in Oregon. For indoor sports, masks aren't required as long as participants are fully vaccinated and their vaccination status is checked, the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) said Wednesday.
These changes apply to student athletes, staff, volunteers and spectators, OSAA said.
School districts, charter schools, private schools and sporting venues may still choose to require masks for high school sports.
Physical distancing and capacity restrictions for high school sporting events still apply, indoors and outdoors, until further notice.
The announcement follows Tuesday's updated mask guidance from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), which says masks are no longer required for fully vaccinated people in most indoor settings, including businesses and churches, but only if their vaccination status is checked.
“Very excited for the kids," said Kelly DuLong, who coaches her 14-year-old daughter Nora's softball team. "So I’m excited for them to be able to breath and not worry about one more thing outside."
Her daughter Nora was also happy about the news.
"I was really excited because especially at pitcher you are working hard every single pitch. So it’s definitely going to be nice," she said.
According to OHA, "fully vaccinated" means a person has received both doses of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine and at least 14 days have passed since the person's final dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Proof of vaccination status includes a COVID-19 vaccination card, a copy or digital photo of the vaccination card or other documentation from a health care provider or government agency that includes a person's name, date of birth, type of vaccine and when and where the vaccine was administered.
OSAA said it will continue to seek clarification from OHA and Gov. Kate Brown's office regarding COVID-19 restrictions and will give the new information to schools as it's received.
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