News & Stories for Oregonians
Available in Spanish Summer vacation is almost over, and back-to-school time is upon us. No matter how you and your learners like to prepare for the start of the school year—shopping for new folders, catching up on summer reading or soaking up the remaining sunny days—be sure to add getting caught up COVID-19 vaccinations to […]
Starting March 12, 2022, contact tracing and quarantine will be paused for the general population in Oregon, including in K-12 and childcare settings. These measures will still be recommended in high-risk settings, including health care settings, jails and prisons, and shelters. “Given how quickly transmission occurs and the number of people who have no — […]
When COVID-19 forced the closure of the Bonanza Jr./Sr. High School in Klamath County in November 2020, principal Jordan Osborn wasn’t so much worried about the classwork as he was his student’s emotional health. Some of the students live in campers, some don’t have electricity or money for gas or enough food. At the time, […]
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director Pat Allen and Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Director Colt Gill were joined by State Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger today to announce two new developments in the course of the pandemic: lifting outdoor mask mandates and launching the Test to Stay program in public and private schools.
Every layer matters. Once a COVID-19 case is identified at school, isolation and quarantine are the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others.
Every layer matters. Cohorting is when your student is with the same group (cohort) of children for most of the school day. They go to the same activities and classes. This helps their teacher keep track of each student. If a student gets sick from COVID-19, the spread of COVID-19 will be less, because the student is only interacting with a smaller group of students. In addition, the number of people who need to quarantine will be less as well.
Every layer matters. The more distance there is between people, the less likely that virus-filled droplets will pass from one person to another.
We know every layer matters, but vaccination against COVID-19 is still the strongest protection available. This is why COVID-19 vaccinations are mandated for all staff, contractors and volunteers working at or for Oregon schools and strongly recommended for all children ages 12 and up.
Today, the Oregon Health Authority’s Dr. Dean Sidelinger shared promising news about COVID-19 hospitalization and case rates, but also warned that we still need to work together to help Oregon defeat the pandemic. As Dr. Sidelinger reminds us, “Our ability to sustain this hopeful progress and ultimately regain the upper hand over the coming weeks, […]
Today, Governor Kate Brown, Oregon Department of Education (ODE), Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) leadership urged Oregon families to take five important steps to make the 2021-2022 school year a safe one. Make a plan to vaccinate all eligible household members. Wear a face covering in public and in […]
