Oregon could indefinitely require masks, social distancing in businesses Updated Apr 19, 2021; Posted Apr 19, 2021 An N95 face mask is shown in this file photo from Feb. 18, 2020. (The Plain Dealer/Gus Chan)The Plain Dealer Facebook Share PORTLAND, Ore. — As states around the country lift COVID-19 restrictions, Oregon is poised to go the opposite direction — and many residents are fuming about it. A top health official is considering indefinitely extending rules requiring masks and social distancing in all businesses in the state. The proposal would keep the rules in place until they are “no longer necessary to address the effects of the pandemic in the workplace.”