On Friday, Feb. 25, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that they no longer recommend mask requirements for schools in communities with low to medium risk of COVID-19 spread.
In a letter dated Saturday, Feb. 26, the superintendents of the Capital Region urged New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett to do the following before Monday, Feb. 28:
- remove the mandate for masking for school facilities in counties identified by the CDC as at low or medium levels of risk;
- provide guidance to school districts, parents and staff about the factors that would trigger the reintroduction of masks; and
- provide guidance to school districts on changes to other mitigation layers including social distancing.