CDC to recommend universal masking in schools

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is poised to recommend widespread masking in schools on Tuesday, regardless of the vaccination status of staff, teachers, and students 12 to 18.

The CDC is expected to make the announcement on Tuesday afternoon, according to CNN. The agency is also expected to recommend that vaccinated people in certain parts of the United States wear masks indoors in public, after announcing roughly two months ago that those people could ditch the face coverings. 

President Joe Biden said in a town hall event last week that the agency is likely to recommend widespread masking in schools, citing an increase in new COVID-19 case counts due to the delta variant. On top of that, COVID-19 vaccines have not received regulatory approval for young children up to 12 years old. Teachers, staff, and students 12 through 18 are expected to be told they should mask up, with exceptions for mealtimes in school. 

In the absence of updated CDC masking guidelines for schools in recent weeks, some school districts, such as Atlanta Public Schools, have enacted their own rules. The school district will provide provide surgical-grade masks to all employees and students, and face shields will be available for students and teachers for classes in which “viewing facial expressions is especially important (disabilities).”