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(CALIFORNIA GLOBE) – In a joint statement with Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that the indoor mask mandate for schools in California would continue until March 12th. After the 12th, masking in schools will only be “strongly recommended.”
The change will effect all indoor K-12 schools, as well as childcare facilities. All unvaccinated individuals will no longer be required to wear masks, with schools instead only being able to ‘strongly encourage’ them. Local school districts, however, can keep mandates in place if wanted. Some, such as the Los Angeles United School District, currently have mask mandates in place until the end of the school year due to a teachers union agreement. However, most districts have said that the local extended mandates can be negotiated.
In addition, while schools will no longer require masks, they will still be required in high transmission places such as “public transit, emergency shelters, health care settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and long-term care facilities.”
“California continues to adjust our policies based on the latest data and science, applying what we’ve learned over the past two years to guide our response to the pandemic. Masks are an effective tool to minimize spread of the virus and future variants, especially when transmission rates are high,” said the Governor on Monday. “We cannot predict the future of the virus, but we are better prepared for it and will continue to take measures rooted in science to keep California moving forward.”
Oregon Governor Brown added that “Two years ago today, we identified Oregon’s first case of COVID-19. As has been made clear time and again over the last two years, COVID-19 does not stop at state borders or county lines. On the West Coast, our communities and economies are linked. Together, as we continue to recover from the Omicron surge, we will build resiliency and prepare for the next variant and the next pandemic. As we learn to live with this virus, we must remain vigilant to protect each other and prevent disruption to our schools, businesses, and communities––with a focus on protecting our most vulnerable and the people and communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.”
The end of statewide mandatory masking in schools
Mandatory K-12 masking policies have been in place in California since in-class schooling resumed in late 2020 and early 2021. While the mandate had been previously considered to be removed, Delta and Omicron variant surges kept state health officials from ending the mask mandate. On February 14th, California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly announced that school mandates would stay in place, despite a drastic reduction of cases and COVID-19 measures, causing a public uproar over ending the mandates.
