Miami-Dade, Broward School Districts Change Mask Guidelines
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As of Monday, Feb. 14th, masks will be optional for all students, staff and visitors at public schools in Miami-Dade and Broward.
The change comes as South Florida continues to see a downward trend in daily infections and positivity rates.
"I think it's a great idea because actually the mask never made sense," said Lynn Gonzalez.
She is among the many parents celebrating the recent changes to local school districts' COVID policies.
In a tweet, Miami-Dade County Public Schools wrote, "Effective Monday, February 14, the use of face coverings by adults will no longer be mandatory in district facilities. While not required, mask usage will continue to be encouraged for all students, employees, volunteers, contractors and visitors.
Broward County Public Schools issued a similar statement, saying come Monday, "vendors and visitors will be strongly encouraged to wear face coverings while indoors in any district school, facility or vehicle, as are district students and employees."
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The school districts cite the recent decline in COVID cases. And when comparing the lines at testing sites from back in January to now, you can see a drastic difference. A change some in community say is a sign things are rebounding.
"It's pretty much great – back to normal life and I hope we forget about COVID," said resident Javier Diaz.
But not every municipality is ready to make a similar move. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says while cases have dropped, they are still monitoring the situation.
"At the current time we have a mask mandate in effect or county-run facilities that is based on the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant," she said. "We're consulting with our chief medical officer, and as the rates calm down, we will be able to lift the mask mandates."