Some Oregonians and Washingtonians ‘feel good’ about taking masks off indoors

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KPTV) - On the Vancouver waterfront, people enjoyed Saturday morning’s sunny weather and seeing strangers’ faces.

“(It) feels good to actually see the majority of the people out enjoying the good weather,” Maxim Medvedev said. “Not covering their faces, I guess.”

Others were also enjoying a change.

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“Agreed, agreed,” Alex Medvedev said. “It’s a beautiful sunny day today. We never get sunshine. No masks, sun comes out, life is good.”

Saturday marks the first day in both Washington and Oregon masks aren’t required inside. Some are already getting used to the idea of leaving theirs behind.

“Went to a coffee shop and it was nice not to have to run back to the car to grab your mask and go back into the store,” Maxim Medvedev said.

Some also say it means a lot in the progress against COVID-19.

“It feels like a new step, a refreshing step,” Gil Dorfman said. “Time to kind of just move on with our lives, continue from where we stopped two years ago and hopefully that’s the case. There’s a lot that needs to happen for it to feel normal again but (it) feels like we’re on the right track.”

Some Portlanders were feeling the same way. With vaccines and boosters, Jaylynn Markey said she feels safe to take hers off.

“I am very excited,” Markey said. “I think masks are great but it’s fun that we feel safe enough not to wear them. Concerts, yeah. We’ve been going to a lot. I’m excited to go to those and not have to worry about masks.”

High schoolers are also excited because, beginning Monday, they won’t have to wear masks in class.

“I feel like a lot of people are going to wear them still, but I’m not,” Ollie Matthews said. “I’ll respect their decision, but I’m not wearing a mask anymore. It’s time.”

Other students also have anticipation for taking masks off.

“(It’s) going to be weird, I don’t know what half of my school looks like,” Max Nelson said. “Then I’m going to go back Monday and see what they all look like.”

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