Connecticut is one of the latest blue states to announce plans to eliminate the statewide school mask mandate, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced on Monday.
The Democrat governor announced that he endorses a plan to eliminate the statewide school mask mandate rule on February 28, 2022. From there, decisions on whether children will be forced to wear masks in schools will be determined at the local level.
“Connecticut is seeing a dramatic decline in cases caused by the Omicron variant, and children over the age of 5 have had the ability to get vaccinated for more than three months now,” Lamont said.
“With this in mind, I think we are in a good position to phase out the requirement that masks be worn in all schools statewide and shift the determination on whether to require this to the local level,” he added.
His office’s press release emphasized that Lamont still believes mask mandates should remain in place “in other settings where it currently is in effect, including healthcare facilities, facilities housing vulnerable populations, public and private transit, and correctional facilities.”
Other blue state governors recently announced the lifting of school mask mandates as well, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D), who is lifting the school’s mask mandate on March 7. Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) is lifting the statewide indoor mask mandate on February 11 and the school mask mandate on March 31.
Oregon, too, which notably changed the status of its indoor mask rules from “temporary” to “permanent,” announced plans to lift the school mask mandate on March 31 as well.
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