24 JUNE 17, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
New York state relaxing school
mask requirements for outdoors
BY ALEJANDRA O'CONNELLDOMENECH
ADOMENECH@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@AODNEWZ
New York state will still require
schools to keep current mask
requirements for students and
staff while indoors, but is allowing localities
to drop outdoor mask-wearing
requirements for schoolchildren, Governor
Andrew Cuomo last week.
The reversal comes after state
Health Commissioner Dr. Howard
Zucker sent a letter to Rochelle P.
Walensky, director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
revealing the state planned to lift
mask requirements for schools and
camps.
“Indoors, mask use will be strongly
encouraged but not required for students,
campers and staff/teachers/
counselors who are not fully vaccinated,”
the letter reads. Outdoors,
masks are not required; students,
campers, staff, teachers and counselors
who are not fully vaccinated
are “encouraged” to wear a mask in
certain higher-risk circumstances.
Despite the easing of state mask
requirements, the New York City
Department of Education said Friday
it planned to keep its current
health and safety protocol in place
for schools and require all students,
Photo via Getty Images
faculty and staff to continue to wear
masks indoors with backing from
the city’s teacher union, the United
Federation of Teachers.
“The health and safety of our students,
educators and staff remain our
top priority. Per state guidance, local
districts may implement standards
that make the most sense for their
communities, and we are continuing
with our universal mask policy
at our schools,” DOE spokesperson
Danielle Filson said.
The policy reversal comes after
the CDC told state officials it will not
issue changes to its mask-wearing
guidelines for “several weeks,” according
to the governor. “In New
York state we are going to modify
the CDC guidance and allow schools
to choose no masks outside for children
… We spoke to the CDC. It has no
objection to that,” Cuomo said.
The change also came shortly after
the governor announced the state
would ease more COVID health and
safety guidelines once 70 percent of
adults in New York state receive at
least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
“There will still be some institutional
guidelines, large venues, schools,
public transportation, hospitals,
nursing homes but when we hit 70
percent we will be back to life as
normal or as normal as you can be
post-COVID,” the governor said.
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