Oakland Unified Says Mask Mandate At Schools May Continue Through April 15
OAKLAND (CBS SF) – As California's school mask requirement is set to expire at the end of the week, the Oakland Unified School District announced that mask requirements on campuses will remain for possibly another month.
"OUSD will keep its current indoor mask mandate for all students, staff, contractors, volunteers and visitors in place at least through April 15," district officials said in a statement posted Thursday. "We are concerned about a potential post-Spring Break surge and recognize that some individuals on District campuses will continue to need to mask (such as individuals who are symptomatic or unvaccinated and exposed)."
The district, which also requires the wearing of masks in outdoor areas, said a decision on dropping the requirement outside will likely be announced later this month.
"We are consulting with our labor partners and other stakeholders and expect to announce a decision within two weeks," the district said.
The decision by Oakland Unified to retain the mask mandate comes as California shifts the guidance regarding masks on campus from required to "strongly recommended," as cases continue to drop from the omicron variant surge.
While counties and school districts retain the right to implement stricter mask rules, the Alameda County Public Health Department announced they would align with state guidance dropping the requirement after the end of classes on Friday.
"Cases are declining to near pre-surge levels everywhere, and this is the right time to move face masking guidance from requirement to recommendation in most settings," Alameda County health director Dr. Nicholas Moss said last week.
Across the bay, the San Francisco Unified School District said it would drop the requirement for middle and high school students on March 12 and for elementary students on April 2, as it seeks to increase vaccination levels among younger children.
Oakland Unified also announced Thursday that there would be the distribution of COVID-19 rapid test kits ahead of Spring Break. Students and staff are expected to test themselves on April 8 and April 10, the day before classes are scheduled to resume.
A similar mass testing program took place over winter break, in the midst of the omicron variant surge. The testing effort, which included the distribution of over 40,000 home test kits and the operation of testing clinics, helped find nearly 1,000 COVID-19 cases.
"As long and as challenging as these two years have been, this pandemic is not yet over," the district said as it marked two years since the start of the pandemic. "So, we must continue to move cautiously - but optimistically - in partnership with our local public health agencies, labor partners, staff, students, and families to strike a balance that keeps our schools safe while making strides toward getting us back to normal."
