Kids, Teachers Should Also Wear Masks When Schools Reopen, CDC Says
In another guidance change, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all schools require masks for both unvaccinated and vaccinated people returning in the fall.
The Washington Post:
CDC Urges Everyone In Schools To Wear Masks
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday changed its guidance for schools, recommending everyone over the age of 2 — and not just the unvaccinated — wear masks inside school buildings, a shift that comes in response to rising concerns about the delta variant of the coronavirus. The announcement came as schools across the country weighed how to mitigate the spread of the new variant in classrooms and hallways, a question that has been fiercely debated in school board meetings — where some parents have flung obscenities at school leaders — and statehouses. In many places, politics — not science — is guiding how leaders respond. And the guidance might make little difference for schools in the nine Republican-led states that have outright barred them from enacting mask requirements. (Balingit and Strauss, 7/27)
CNN:
CDC Recommends Encouraging Everyone To Wear A Mask In School
"CDC recommends that everyone in K through 12 schools wear a mask indoors, including teachers, staff, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with proper prevention strategies in place," she said. "Finally, CDC recommends community leaders encourage vaccination and universal masking to prevent further outbreaks in areas of substantial and high transmission with the Delta various. Vaccinating more Americans now is more urgent than ever." (Howard, 7/27)
Roll Call:
As COVID-19 Cases Rise, CDC Urges Masks Indoors, Including Schools
Earlier this month, the CDC said all fully vaccinated school-age children could go maskless in the classroom, while unvaccinated students should mask up. Soon after the agency released this guidance, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended all students, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in the classroom to help prevent transmission. “Masking students is inconvenient, I know, but will allow them to learn and be with their classmates with the best available protection,” Biden said in a statement. (Cohen, 7/27)
Experts and doctors also weigh in about kids and masks —
CNBC:
Top U.S. Doctors Say Kids Need Masks And Social Distancing In Schools This Fall
Students should wear masks and practice social distancing at school to ensure safe in-person learning this fall, top U.S. doctors said Tuesday. Just 30% of 12- to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated in America, and younger kids won’t likely get the shots until well into the school year. That has the American Academy of Pediatrics and other top doctors worried that the delta variant could rip through U.S. schools when kids return to the classroom this fall. (Mendez and Towey, 7/27)
Fox News:
K-12 Schools Should Implement Universal Masking To Protect Younger Kids, Expert Says
Amid rising COVID-19 cases largely due to the delta variant, K-12 schools should instate universal masking measures to safeguard younger kids who are not yet eligible for vaccination, an Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) expert said Tuesday. The advice, given by Dr. Tina Tan, member of the IDSA board of directors and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, goes a step further than guidance given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which currently recommends masks for unvaccinated individuals. The health agency does note that "based on the needs of the community, school administrators may opt to make mask use universally required (i.e., regardless of vaccination status) in the school." It is expected to issue an update Tuesday that some vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors. (Hein, 7/27)
ABC News:
Pediatricians' Advice For Parents Confused About Kids And Face Masks Amid COVID-19 Surge
Adding to the many challenges parents faced during the COVD-19 pandemic, vaccines remain unavailable for young children leading to questions about the need for kids to wear masks. The issue has come to a head as kids start to return to school and even different schools within the same school district may have different mask policies. (Kindelan, 7/27)
Also —
Politico:
Newsom Pulls Kids From Summer Camp After Maskless Revelation
California Gov. Gavin Newsom pulled his children from a summer camp after discovering that other children were attending without masks in violation of state policy, his office confirmed Tuesday. "The Newsoms were concerned to see unvaccinated children unmasked indoors at a camp their children began attending yesterday and after seeing this, removed the kids from the camp," Newsom spokesperson Erin Mellon said in a statement. "The family reviewed communication from the camp and realized that an email was missed saying the camp would not enforce masking guidance. Their kids will no longer be attending this camp." (Bermel, 7/27)
