Oregon Proposed 'Permanent' Mask Requirements Won't Be Forever

BEAVERTON, OR — As with many words in the English language, sometimes permanent does not always mean what you think it does. In the case of the Oregon Health Authority's proposed "permanent" mask mandate, it absolutely does not mean "permanent" in say, the forever sense of the word.

The authority held a hearing Thursday that would make the state's temporary indoor mask mandate permanent.

In this case, permanent is a legal definition. Under Oregon law, if a rule or mandate is "temporary," it can't be extended beyond 180 days.

If it's "permanent," however, the mandate can be paused and restarted as needed.

The distinction has either been lost or ignored by some conservative media outlets and people on social media. There were several dozen protesters opposing the mandate outside the hearing.