With COVID-19 cases surging across the state, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday two new health and safety measures — a vaccination requirement for state employees and statewide indoor mask requirements, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

New modeling from the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Health & Science University projects that, without new health and safety interventions in place, COVID-19 hospitalizations will far exceed Oregon’s health system capacity in the next several weeks, the release said.

Modeling from OHSU shows that without additional mitigation measures the state could be as many as 500 staffed hospital beds short of what will be needed to treat patients hospitalized for any reason by September.

“Oregon is facing a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations — consisting overwhelmingly of unvaccinated individuals — that is quickly exceeding the darkest days of our winter surge,” Brown said. “When our hospitals are full, there will be no room for additional patients needing care — whether for COVID-19, a heart attack or stroke, a car collision, or a variety of other emergency situations. If our hospitals run out of staffed beds, all Oregonians will be at risk.”

Brown said there are two keys to saving lives — vaccinations and masks.

“Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your family against severe illness, hospitalization, and death,” she said. “And, by wearing masks, all of us — vaccinated and unvaccinated — can help ensure that a hospital bed staffed by health professionals is available for our loved ones in their time of need. If we all do our part, we can beat COVID-19 once and for all, keep our economy open and thriving and return our kids to the classroom with minimal disruptions in a few weeks.”

Brown will hold a press conference on Aug. 11 to spell out the parameters of the new statewide indoor mask requirements.

All state of Oregon executive branch employees required to be fully vaccinated

Brown mandates that all Oregon executive branch employees will be required to be fully vaccinated on or before Oct. 18, or six weeks after a COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whichever is later, the release said.

The requirement will apply to all executive branch employees, including employees working for all Oregon state agencies, and in consultation with Oregon’s statewide elected officials, employees of the Oregon State Treasury and the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, as well as employees of the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries and the Oregon Department of Justice.

Employees will be required to show proof of vaccination by the deadline. Individuals unable to be vaccinated due to disability or sincerely held religious belief may be able to qualify for an exception, as required by state and federal law. Oregon employees will not have the option of weekly testing instead of showing proof of vaccination.

“The only way we can stop the spread of COVID-19 for good is through vaccination,” Brown said.

The vaccination requirement does not apply to employees of Oregon’s legislative and judicial branches of government, though Brown is encouraging the leadership of both branches to consider a similar requirement.