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Oregon will require adults and most children to wear face coverings starting Friday in most public settings where people are close to each other, in yet another attempt to slow spread of the contagious delta variant of COVID-19. Children under 5 years old are exempt from the mandate, as are people of all ages while eating and drinking outdoors and people living outdoors while experiencing homelessness. (Borrud, 8/24)

People in Oregon, regardless of vaccination status, will once again be required to wear masks in most public outdoor settings — including large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible — beginning Friday. The mandate, announced Tuesday by Gov. Kate Brown, is part of a growing list of statewide requirements implemented in Oregon in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. Oregon is one of a handful of states with an indoor mask mandate in effect. But it’s the first to reinstitute a statewide mask requirement for outdoor public areas where people are close together, according to the governor’s office. (Cline, 8/25)

More than half of Florida’s students are now enrolled in public school districts with mask mandates despite threats of sanctions from the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who decreed that only parents can decide whether their children wear masks. On Tuesday night, two school districts — in Orange and Indian River counties — approved mandates to try to stop the spread of the delta variant of the novel coronavirus. They joined eight other districts that recently moved to require a medical exemption from a doctor to opt out. (Strauss, 8/25)

Florida's Broward and Alachua counties are not backing down on mask mandates in schools, despite Gov. Ron DeSantis' order that the mandates must allow parents to decide whether their children will wear a face covering. Both counties have now responded to the Florida Board of Education's order that called on the districts to allow a parent opt out within 48 hours. Broward and Alachua were the first two school districts in the state to move forward with mask mandates that do not include the opt out option. (Santiago and Weisfeldt, 8/24)

The battle over mask mandates is playing out in school board auditoriums, state and federal courts and on the national political stage — and it’s far from over. Students with disabilities may have the most to lose. Alisha Todd’s 10-year-old son said he feels “trapped.” Todd asked WLRN not to use her son’s name to protect his privacy. “I had brain surgery just a little over a month ago,” the Palm Beach County fifth- grader said. “And if I got COVID, I could die.” (Bakeman, 8/24)

The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) over his ban on school mask mandates. The ACLU is representing several disability rights groups and parents who argue the ban violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and "illegally forces parents of children with underlying conditions to choose between their child’s education and their child’s health and safety." (Gonzalez, 8/24)

The regular meeting of the Franklin, Washington, County commissioners disintegrated into a rally against the state’s mask mandate, with one commissioner walking out in protest. The mandate reinstated Monday to curb the surging number of COVID-19 cases and deaths requires people to wear masks inside public buildings. The Tri-City Herald reports Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier, along with dozens of audience members, came to the Tuesday meeting without a mask and refused to put one on. (8/25)