Mixed Masking Requirements Lead to School Staff Confusion

If you’re a school custodian or another K-12 or university staff member, is it safe to take off your mask yet? Not so fast, advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CNN reports that the CDC still recommends that all schools encourage students to wear masks. “That’s consistent with our guidance that still also recommends that people mask in public indoor settings in areas of high or substantial transmission,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “While we are looking ahead and planning ahead, we’ll continue to evaluate and follow the science—our recommendations are consistent with encouraging students to wear well-fitting masks.”

Meanwhile, a growing number of states, from California to Delaware, have announced their intentions to drop indoor mask mandates in the coming days. Others, like Connecticut and New Jersey, are eliminating mask mandates in schools.

In Illinois, individual school districts are determining whether to maintain or discard mask mandates after a judge in downstate Sangamon Country last week ruled against Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate in response to lawsuits from parents and teachers in more than 150 school districts, ABC-TV reported. The judge’s decision has sparked student protests in school districts that have decided to keep the mandates.

Yesterday, Governor Pritzker lifted the mask mandate in most public buildings, effective February 28, except for hospitals, federal buildings, and public transportation. The school mask mandate is also still in effect as the issue is in appeals court.

Although Walensky noted that states and municipalities can determine their own policies, she urged caution in removing masks too soon. According to the CDC numbers, 99% of US counties still have high levels of coronavirus transmission. Walensky is cautiously optimistic about case numbers dropping from the peak of the Omicron surge, but believes the numbers are still too high for the agency to consider lifting any mitigation measures such as masking.