Wayne County rescinds mask mandate for K-12 schools 'effective immediately'

Wayne County on Thursday lifted its mask mandate for K-12 schools “effective immediately,” a day after state health officials dropped a statewide mask advisory.

The county is no longer requiring students, teachers and other school employees to wear masks. But the rescinded order doesn’t impact local school districts that have their own mask rules.

Wayne County imposed the mask mandate for schools in August 2021.

Dr. Avani Sheth, chief medical officer for the county’s health department, said he still recommends masks as an “important tool to decrease the spread of COVID-19.”

“Children should continue to be supported to wear a mask, including but not limited to for reasons such as individual and/or household risk factors and vaccination status,” Sheth said.

On Wednesday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services lifted its recommendations to wear masks indoors in public spaces, such as schools and stores, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decline.

"During this phase, MDHHS recommends that all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, continue to practice universal masking in high-risk congregate settings including long-term care facilities, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, jails and health care facilities," state health officials said in a statement.

"All individuals, regardless of vaccination status, should also wear a mask during isolation and quarantine periods to stop further community spread of COVID-19."

Mask mandates expire in K-12 schools in Oakland and Washtenaw counties on Feb. 28. In Ingham County, the mask mandate for schools expires at midnight Saturday. And in Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Ostego, Benzie, and Leelanau counties, school mask mandates end at 11:59 p.m. Thursday.

Macomb was the only county in metro Detroit that did not impose mask requirements for schools.
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