Gov. John Carney says he’s lifting state mask mandates as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to decrease.
The universal indoor mask requirement put in place last month will expire at 8 am on Friday, February 11.
The statewide mask mandate for students in public and private schools is expected to expire at the end of the day March 31. The requirement is also expected to be lifted in child care facilities.
Carney says the school mandate is remaining in place longer to allow more time to get kids vaccinated - and allow school districts to consider local mask requirements. The Division of Public Health and Department of Education will also work with schools to update quarantine and contact tracing guidelines.
“We’re in a much better place than we were several weeks ago in the middle of the Omicron surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” said Carney in a statement. “I want to be clear about this point - COVID is still circulating in our communities. And the virus still poses a risk of serious illness, particularly among those who are not up to date on their vaccinations. But we have the tools to keep ourselves and each other safe. Get vaccinated. Get your booster. That’s especially important for children, where we continue to see low rates of vaccination."
Carney urges parents to get their school-age children vaccinated before masking requirements expire.
The Department of Correction also announced Monday it will resume in-person inmate visitation at state prisons next Monday, Feb.14. It was suspended January 1 as case numbers rose.
Registration for in-person visitation will be available this week with information at the inmate visitation webpage.
Weekend furloughs from Level IV Community Corrections Centers are also resuming next week and prison programming will begin the transition back to in-person next week.
