Some School Districts Relax Guidelines After CDC Eases Recommendations On Indoor Mask-Wearing
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Starting Monday, many students in local schools now have the option to leave their mask at home.
It comes after the CDC and some school districts relaxed their restrictions on face coverings.
According to the North Hills School District, students will not have to wear masks in buildings, or on school buses and vans. That change echoes what many schools are doing across the nation. Schools like Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, and Gateway have all implemented optional masking.
Infectious disease experts say this makes sense. The CDC says if hospitalizations are high, masking should be done while indoors. In the Pittsburgh area currently, hospitalizations have subsided, meaning that masking can be optional.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, an Infectious Disease Specialist with Johns Hopkins University says the CDC needs to stop making all guidelines based on COVID-19 case counts.
"I think this guidance makes sense. It really reflects where we're going with this pandemic where we're going to be focused much more on severe disease than we are on all diseases for all cases," Dr. Adalja said.
"I do think it's time for schools to have an offramp to COVID mitigation, but I think that the changing of the CDC guidance is a good time to do that," Dr. Adalja added.
Dr. Adalja says if people fall into a vulnerable population, they should continue to wear masks -- adding that if people fall into a vulnerable population, they should continue to wear masks.
He also says the new shift in guidance could lead to an uptick in cases in schools, but says the schools should be okay.
Click here to access KDKA's comprehensive guide to what policies and requirements have been issued for each school district in our area.