New York will no longer mandate masks in K-12 schools and camps statewide starting on Monday, with the decision on whether to keep the requirement to be left to local districts, barring any guidance otherwise from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
But New York City public schools—the largest school system in the United States—will continue requiring masks.
In a letter (pdf) to the CDC, New York State Commissioner of Health Howard Zucker said that the state will update its school and camp mask guidance.
“If there is any data or science that you are aware of that contradicts moving forward with this approach, please let me know as soon as possible. We plan to make this guidance effective on Monday June 7,” Zucker wrote to CDC Director Rochelle Wallensky.
The new guidance states that those who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear masks in both indoor and outdoor settings. For people who are not vaccinated, or not fully vaccinated, masks are not required for outdoors, and masks are “encouraged” for “higher-risk” circumstances outdoors, and “strongly encouraged but not required” for indoor settings. Schools and camps may choose to implement stricter standards, according to Zucker.
The state wanted to align its school and camp mask guidance. Zucker noted that the CDC gave different guidance on mask wearing in the setting of K-12 schools compared to youth camps.
The current CDC guidance for K-12 schools is “consistent” use of masks, with no distinction between mask wearing for indoor and outdoor activities, and does not address vaccinated individuals, he wrote.
Meanwhile, the current CDC guidance for youth camps is similar to the new guidance that New York seeks to implement on Monday.
New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) President Andy Pallotta said in a statement that the release of the letter on Friday afternoon is “whiplash-inducing news.” He noted that there are only three weeks remaining in the school year.
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