ONTARIO, Ore. — As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to increase across the country, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has announced a vaccine mandate for those who work or volunteer in K-12 schools and healthcare. Brown said it's an important step to protect students and the community.
The announcement comes right before many schools in eastern Oregon begin the new academic year.
"We've been really excited to be back in person," Nicole Albisu, the superintendent for Ontario School District, told KTVB on Thursday. "It's been a long year and we spent a majority of the year in Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL)."
Heading into the new school year, the Ontario School District has required all students, staff and visitors to wear a mask when inside a school building. It's a mandate all schools in Oregon are following, which was also a mandate made by Oregon's governor.
"It's a small price to pay to have kids back in school," Albisu said. "We can't repeat another year of kids having to learn from home."
Albisu said as she started to see more cases rise in the state and around Malheur County, it was not too much of a shock to see a mandate like this happen. She put a message out to staff warning there could be more changes coming as the first day of school, which is Aug. 20, comes closer.
"Just be prepared to pivot and they've gotten really good at that," Albisu said.
Malheur County has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Oregon with only 31% of the entire population vaccinated, according to the Oregon Health Authority Dashboard.
The Malheur County Health Department said it's important to take note that it is of the entire population because plenty of that percentage is of children who do not qualify for the vaccine. They are still able to be potentially infected by the virus.
"Thirty-one percent is actually pretty terrible," Sarah Poe, the director of the Malheur County Health Department, said. "I wouldn't feel comfortable saying we're 'safe' or 'safer' unless that number was more than doubled that."
While Poe would like to see the number of people vaccinated in the community increase, she does not think enforcing a blanket mandate is the way to do it.
"Oregon is a big state and it's very diverse," Poe said. "I find that local control is really helpful especially because there are people who may be reacting to the politics of it and not the actual risk."
Superintendent Albisu said she knows there are going to be staff members who disagree with the mandate. It worries her the school district could possibly lose employees during a staffing shortage.
"We're suffering from the same crisis that everyone across the nation is suffering from," Albisu said.
Albisu said she and other school district leaders around Oregon issued concern about losing teachers and staff during a call after Thursday's announcement.
"Buses can't drive themselves, meals can't cook themselves and we need our amazing teachers in front of our kids," Albisu said.
Although it is worrisome, she said schools have gotten used to abrupt changes within the last year and a half and will handle this new change the best they can.
"We'll be able to start the year okay, but there are some people who have it far worse than we do," she said.
The school district said they will do whatever they need to and continue to adapt to help slow the spread.
"If wearing masks and being vaccinated is going to help keep businesses open, it's going to keep kids in school for the whole year and keep more people healthy and safe, not being hospitalized, then that's what we're about," Albisu said. "That's what we want."
Malheur County Health Department can't change the mandate but said they'll continue with what they've been doing; coming to the community with compassion and information about the vaccine. Officials believe the vaccine is still the key to move out of the pandemic and protect the overwhelmed health care systems.
"I really care about protecting my community and promoting our safety and well-being," Poe said.
Poe encouraged everyone to have conversations with their healthcare providers to figure out what is best for themselves and their families. She also encouraged people who are vaccinated to have conversations with those who are not and answer questions about their hesitancy.
"I think people want to know that this is a decision that was tailor-made for them and their situation," Poe said. "Any of those fears that they have can be addressed."
All K-12 employees and volunteers and health care workers will be required to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 18 or six weeks after the vaccine gets full FDA approval, whichever is later. Religious and medical/disability-related exceptions may apply.
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