Mask requirements for Delaware schools will be lifted Tuesday night, following updated CDC guidance.
Last week, the CDC issued updated guidelines emphasizing the strain on healthcare systems rather than case numbers. Those guidelines add that mask requirements in low and medium risk communities are no longer required.
In response, Gov. John Carney says he’s dropping the mask requirement in all K-12 schools and childcare facilities starting Tuesday night.
This comes a month earlier than expected; schools were expected to remain under a mask requirement until the end of March, to give districts and charters time to consider local requirements as well as work with the state on quarantine and testing policies.
Carney says this decision is in direct response to a dramatic decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations over the last month. The state has dropped below 100 hospitalizations for the first time since last August.
Carney is also lifting mask requirements for state facilities starting Wednesday, and state employees will no longer be required to get vaccinated or tested weekly.
Masks continue to be required on all public transport, including airlines and in hospitals, regardless of vaccination status — this follows existing federal mandates.
Roman Battaglia is a corps member withReport for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
