Some officials blame the need for masks on the highly-transmissible Delta variant, vaccine hesitancy and a limited share of vaccinated K-12 students.
By Juan Perez Jr. from politico.com
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended universal masking indoors for all K-12 school teachers, staff, students and visitors — marking a sharp shift to tighten the agency’s guidance as most children remain unvaccinated against Covid-19 just weeks before the fall semester.
“This pandemic continues to pose a serious threat to the health of all Americans,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday, citing “worrisome” concerns over rare cases of vaccinated individuals getting infected and potentially still spreading the highly-contagious Delta virus variant.
“In areas with substantial and high transmission, CDC recommends fully-vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings to help prevent the spread of the Delta variant and protect others — this includes schools,” Walensky told reporters, adding that children should still return to in-person instruction this fall with proper protective measures in place.
Some health and education officials blame the continued need for school masks on the highly-transmissible Delta variant, vaccine hesitancy and a limited share of vaccinated K-12 students. Yet schools and states may face an uphill battle in carrying out the new guidance, given sharp political divisions over classroom virus safety measures and state bans on school mask mandates.
State woes: The CDC’s new guidance better aligns with that of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a prominent organization that countered prior federal guidance last week by pushing schools to adopt universal mask policies for workers and students older than 2 years of age ahead of the new school year.
“Next week we have many school systems that are starting around the country,” Walensky said. “I think we all agree that children [age] 11 and less are not going to be able to be vaccinated, and with only 30 percent of our kids between 12 and 17 fully vaccinated now, more cases in this country, and a real effort to try and make sure that our kids can safely get back to full in-person learning in the fall, we’re recommending that everybody wear masks right now.”
But in Texas, for example, Democrats are pressing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to rescind his ban on school mask requirements and allow schools to have virtual learning this fall.
“Children under twelve cannot get a COVID vaccine, which means they are vectors of infection for each other, their teachers, and their family members,” Texas state Rep. Vikki Goodwin and more than 30 colleagues wrote last week in a letter to Abbott and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath. “Putting them all in one building without masks is foolish.”
And while Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey recently urged his state’s residents to get vaccinated, he also suggested the government won’t revisit its recently-approved bans on in-school face covering and vaccination requirements.
“Arizonans have the ability to protect themselves from COVID-19 thanks to the vaccine. Businesses are open, students are back in the classroom, loved ones are gathering and our economy is booming,” Ducey said last week. “We’re going to keep it that way. We will not be listening to the lockdown lobby. Businesses will stay open. Students will be able to attend school. There will be no mask mandates.”
Union reaction: “To ensure we have safe, equitable in-person instruction for every student in America, we must follow the science and listen to the medical experts at CDC,” National Education Association President Becky Pringle said in a statement. “ The evidence is clear that masks provide important protection against Covid-19 and provide the greatest protection for all of us.”
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten meanwhile pointed to a “troubling surge” of variant cases in under-vaccinated communities, plus the potential for vaccinated people to still get infected and spread the virus even though they’re far more likely to escape serious illness.
“Masking inside schools, regardless of vaccine status, is required as an important way to deal with the changing realities of virus transmission,” Weingarten said. “It is a necessary precaution until children under 12 can receive a Covid vaccine and more Americans over 12 get vaccinated.”