A growing number of school districts across the country are re-upping mask mandates in classrooms, many citing a rise in COVID-19 cases as reason for the strengthened mitigation measures.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Jan. 4, the weekly average of new COVID-19 cases nationwide had increased 16% compared to the previous seven-day average. As of Jan. 5, nearly 20% of U.S. counties had high levels of COVID-19 transmission.
The latest states where school districts have imposed masking requirements include Massachusetts and Michigan. In Chicago, students and staff were asked to perform at-home rapid tests before returning to the classroom on Monday.
Officials in Chicago, as well as a handful of other districts across the country, also issued warnings about the heightened threat of the seasonal flu and respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV. Public health experts had for months warned about the possibility of a so-called “tripledemic,” with the flu, RSV and COVID coinciding during the winter.
Students, staff and other faculty attending public schools in Chelsea, Massachusetts must wear masks in “school buildings at all times except when eating or drinking,” per a district-wide announcement, effective Monday. Superintendent Dr. Almi G. Abeyta said the district would “continue to regularly monitor data and follow CDC recommendations in the event the risk level changes.”
Chelsea, like many other areas that have recently reimplemented mask mandates, was recently designated by the CDC as posing a “High Risk” for SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The CDC recommends individuals in such counties wear a high-quality mask or respirator, like an N95, and suggests those at high risk of contracting the virus limit any public activities in which they could be exposed.
Late last year, the Boston Public School District announced it would implement a temporary masking policy between Jan. 3 - Jan. 13, though masking will not be required, both on school grounds and on school transportation.
“This is our ask and expectation of students and staff, not a mandate—which will be in effect during the school day on school premises and school buses,” school district officials wrote in a letter. “BPS will provide disposable face masks to students or staff who need them. No one will be disciplined or sent home if they refuse to wear a mask. Masks will be available for student athletes at practices and games, but not expected.”
Public schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan – which reopened from winter break on Monday – will require both students and staff to don masks on school grounds between Jan. 9 - Jan. 20.
“During this time of return from travel and social activities, the requirement of masks while indoors at school is a measure to reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses and related absenteeism and to prioritize health and in-school learning, particularly at this transition time following the winter break,” an announcement on the school district website read in part.
At least three school districts in New Jersey reinstituted mask-wearing policies before or immediately following winter break. The Passaic City School District, the ninth-largest in the state, announced it would return to universal masking policies on Dec. 21; Paterson and Camden School Districts announced similar policies on Dec. 29. Pateron’s mandate went into effect on Jan. 3 with officials set to re-evaluate the requirements as caseloads change in the area; Camden’s mandate will end on Jan. 17.
Philadelphia’s school district also announced in mid-December that, effective Jan. 3 through Jan. 13, all students and staff would be required to wear face masks while in classrooms, with district officials writing in a news release the move was a “proactive measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in school, reduce absenteeism and prioritize in-person learning after the winter break.”