As the number of COVID-19 cases drops, some states have chosen to end their mask mandates for schools, even though CDC guidance hasn’t changed. Democratic governors in Connecticut, Delaware, and New Jersey announced they will end their school mask mandates in the coming weeks.
“Connecticut is seeing a dramatic decline in cases caused by the Omicron variant, and children over the age of 5 have had the ability to get vaccinated for more than three months now,” Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said. “With this in mind, I think we are in a good position to phase out the requirement that masks be worn in all schools statewide and shift the determination on whether to require this to the local level.”
However, the White House said it is still recommending students wear masks.
“That is the recommendation from the CDC,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. “It is also true that at some point when the science and the data warrants, of course, our hope is that that’s no longer the recommendation — and they are continually assessing that.”