Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Reversal, NC To Urge All Students, Teachers To Mask, Even If Vaccinated
AP: North Carolina Reverses Course, Urges Masks In All Schools
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday decided to reverse course from guidance he issued last week and will now urge all K-12 public school students and staff to be masked, even if they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The Democratic governor and the state's top public health official, Dr. Mandy Cohen, pinned much blame on unvaccinated people and renewed calls for them to get the shot. (Anderson, 7/29)
AP: Beshear Updates School Mask Recommendations
Schools should make sure to require indoor mask wearing for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. Administrators should have layered strategies in place to prevent COVID-19 infection and transmission, he added Thursday. (7/30)
Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: Masks Required For K-12 Schools Next Year
Students, staff and visitors in K-12 schools across Oregon will be required to wear COVID-19 face masks in the upcoming school year. Salem-Keizer Public Schools will follow this guidance but is still seeking input from families and community members around other safety precautions and back-to-school plans for the fall. Thursday, Gov. Kate Brown announced the requirement that masks be worn indoors at K-12 schools statewide for the 2021-22 school year. (Pate, 7/29)
The Washington Post: More Washington Area Schools Will Mandate Masks In The Fall
Schools will open this fall in much of the Washington region a little less normal than expected — with mask requirements now planned for Fairfax and Arlington counties, along with D.C. and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. School systems are issuing the mandates regardless of vaccination status — to the relief of some families and teachers, and to the dismay of others. (St. George and Stein, 7/29)
The Washington Post: As New School Year Looms, Debates Over Mask Mandates Stir Anger And Confusion
New federal guidelines prompted by a surge in coronavirus cases have left school leaders across the country embroiled in debates over whether to require masks in schools, muddling a long-sought return to normalcy for millions of children. The wrangling over masks, considered by pediatricians and epidemiologists to be one of the most effective ways to stop school spread, has turned deeply personal and political, fueling vitriol at school board meetings that have left board members fearing for their safety. Several Republican-led states have barred school districts from requiring masks, threatening to fine school leaders or cut state funding if they attempt it. (Balingit, St. George and Strauss, 7/29)
Also —
CBS News: Summer Camps See Rise In COVID-19 Outbreaks Ahead Of New School Year
The U.S. has seen a wave of COVID-19 outbreaks linked to summer camps and health officials fear it could be a preview of what's to come in the new school year. In rural Hudson, New York, where 67% of those 12 and up are fully vaccinated, news of a COVID-19 outbreak at nearby Camp Pontiac has rattled the community. "By Monday, it was 23," said Jack Mabb, the health director of Columbia County. "By Wednesday, it was 31, all in the seven to 11 age group. So they're of course unvaccinated." "Our reaction is we haven't seen this," he said. (Battiste, 7/29)
