As state and local governments struggle to decide which COVID-19 restrictions should be removed and which ones to retain, the decisions in Connecticut, Delaware and Oregon were made. These changes are also coming amid growing concern that the virus will not go away, and Americans must find a way for Americans to live with it.
New Jersey Governor. Phil Murphy described the move as "a tremendous step back to normalcy and for our children."
According to the nonpartisan National Academy for State Health Policy, these four states are among 12 that have mask mandates in schools. Since September 2020, classes have resumed in New Jersey.
Murphy spoke out about the "dramatic fall in our COVID figures" when he announced the rollback. Murphy said that the omicron variant caused an increase in infections during the holidays. However, the state's cases are now down half a million and hospitalizations have dropped by one-third over the past week.
The governor stated that COVID cannot be managed to zero. "We must learn to live with COVID, as we move from a phase of endemic to a pandemic.
Governor of Connecticut Ned Lamont spoke with reporters and said that he believes the state has all the tools necessary to keep people safe.
Lamont stated, "What we have to figure out is how we as society, we state, and we as individuals learn to live with COVID which hopefully has a decreasing impact on our state and community for many years to come."
Lamont suggested ending the mandate in state schools and child care centres on February 28. The requirement will be repealed in New Jersey on March 7. Delaware Governor John Carney stated that his state's school-mask mandate will continue through March.
Health officials announced that Oregon's indoor public place mask requirement will be removed by March 31st. On March 31, the school mask requirements will be removed.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger is the state medical officer, epidemiologist and will be meeting in the coming weeks with education and health officials to review guidance and "ensure schools can continue to operate safely and keep students in school" after the mask rule has been lifted.
Health scientists predicted that COVID-19-related hospitalizations would decline to 400 or less by March 31, which was the same time Oregon experienced it before the omicron variant spike.
In many parts of the United States, the debate about masks in schools has become polarizing. Parents have protested at school board meetings while slates of candidates (pro- and anti-mask) are seeking seats on school boards to influence policies.
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, stated Monday that universal school mask-wearing "still remains our recommendation", but she didn't fault states for dropping it.
"It's always been up the school districts. She said that this has always been our view and our policy.
According to the National Academy for State Health Policy, eight Republican-led states including Florida and Texas have banned school mask mandates. However, some of them have been suspended amid legal battles with districts or parents who want masks.
Illinois's Democratic governor was last week thrown out by a judge. J.B. Pritzker's statewide school-mask mandate was overturned by a judge in Illinois. The Democratic attorney general announced Monday that he would appeal the decision. Chicago's school system, where teachers refused to teach in-person classes, said that the ruling does not apply. The nation's third largest district, however, will still require masks.
Republicans and parents pressured Murphy to end the mandate. The New Jersey Education Association is the largest teacher union in the state, and has supported Murphy's mask rule.
The union stated that COVID-19 trends point in the right direction and said: "It's appropriate for Gov. Murphy should allow local districts to continue to demand masking in communities when that is prudent based upon local conditions.
Nationally, the number of COVID-19 new cases per day has fallen by more than half a million since mid-January when they reached a record breaking peak of over 800,000. According to Johns Hopkins University data, cases have declined in 47 states in the past two weeks.
The number of Americans with COVID-19 in hospitals has dropped 24% to 111,000 since mid-January.
The death rate is still high at over 2,400 per day, which is the highest since last winter. This is due to a delay between the time victims are infected and the time they die.
It is not clear how many or when the 600+ New Jersey school districts will stop wearing masks.
Paul Brubaker, a district spokesperson, stated that Paterson is the third-largest city in the state. The school system will consult with parents, principals, and staff.
Melissa Alfieri Collins, mother of two, who opposes mask mandates in schools, said she prefers "choice" and called the governor's decision positive. However, she expressed concern that mask rules might be kept in place by districts.
She said that parents should have an option to opt out of districts doing this.
Connecticut will allow school districts to keep the mandate. Although it is not clear if Delaware will follow Connecticut's lead, the governor stated that he wanted to allow school districts to have time to think about a local mandate.
Stephen White, a father of a 14 year-old son and a 55-year old man, stated that if the mandate was lifted immediately, he would not be in favor. However, it will be different in four weeks.
He said, "By that period, if rates are falling and they can say, 'OK kids are vaccinated' -- If they have a substantial number of kids that have been vaccinated -- then I don't mind them not wearing a face mask to school."
Francis Amegah (63 years old, with two children living in Newark's school district), said that the end of the mandate was "well overdue."
They shouldn't wear masks. We'll handle anything that happens. He said that parents should be able "to take care of it."
Republicans claimed that they were responsible for pushing the governor to end his mandate.
