PORTLAND, Ore. — Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that nationally, people who are vaccinated against COVID-19 don't need to wear a mask in most indoor or outdoor settings.
Now it's up to states to make the next move.
On Thursday, Gov. Kate Brown said Oregon will follow the new CDC guidance.
However, the Oregon Health Authority is still working to update its rules regarding what businesses will be required to do to let customers drop masks. "Some businesses may prefer simply operating under the current guidance for now," Gov. Brown said.
National retailers such as Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe's have put out statements that vaccinated customers are welcome to take off masks inside. But in Oregon, the mask mandate for businesses is still in place until an update comes out.
OHA said that could eventually mean asking for proof.
"We will have to have a system in place for asking about vaccine status," said Dr. Dean Sidelinger with OHA.
Landon Burningham owns Physiq Fitness in the Salem area. He wishes Oregon had guidance ready before announcing it would eventually follow the CDC.
"Everybody gets really excited, and they want those things to happen, effective immediately," Burningham said. "We look like the bad guy, we look like we're not adopting this potentially wonderful rule."
"The biggest thing is we just need clarity," he added.
He and others say expecting businesses to ask for vaccination status isn't realistic.
"Because how are you going to ask everybody for proof?" he said.
Most grocery stores in the Portland metro area told KGW they plan to keep masking rules for now.
Meanwhile, for everyday people like Ethan Bliss, who aren't always able to catch every news conference, keeping up with changing guidance and gray areas regarding mask-wearing is tough.
"It's been a struggle through this whole quarantine time," Bliss said.