On August 4, 2021, Governor Brown announced that due to COVID-19’s Delta variant, vaccines will be required for all health-care providers working in health-care settings, including massage therapists, by September 30, 2021. ABMP is seeking clarification on the definition of “health-care setting” in the coming weeks to determine whether this applies to spas and/or sole practitioners.
The Oregon Health Authority issued a Temporary Rule on August 5, 2021, that defines “fully vaccinated” as:
“having received both doses of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine and at least 14 days have passed since the individual’s final dose of COVID-19 vaccine.”
This rule also includes those working in health-care offices and clinics. All employers and sole practitioners will have to do the following:
“An employer of healthcare providers or healthcare staff, contractors or responsible parties must have and follow a policy for:
(a) Requesting and obtaining from every healthcare provider and healthcare staff person proof of vaccination.
(b) Required COVID-19 testing for any healthcare provider or healthcare staff person who is unvaccinated or has an unknown vaccination status, on at least a weekly basis.
(c) Maintaining documentation of weekly COVID-19 test results for any healthcare provider or healthcare staff person who is unvaccinated or has an unknown vaccination status.”
Documentation must be maintained in a confidential file. Anyone who does not comply with this rule by September 30, 2021, may be fined up to $500 per day. This temporary rule is in effect from August 4, 2021, through January 31, 2022.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact gr@abmp.com.