Thursday afternoon, Governor Ralph Northam announced a mask mandate for all of Virginia’s K-12 public schools. The announcement comes after a few school districts in Virginia voted against requiring masks for students and teachers, even though CDC guidelines recommend masking for everyone in school settings.
“We all share the same goal of keeping our schools open and keeping our students safe,”said Governor Northam. “That’s why the General Assembly passed this law with overwhelming bipartisan support. This Public Health Order makes it very clear that masks are required in all indoor K-12 settings, and Virginia expects all schools to comply. I’m grateful to the work of the General Assembly and the Health Department, and I look forward to a safe start to the school year.”
According to Northam’s announcement, 73 percent of all adults in Virginia have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. As of August 10, 40.3 percent of 12-15 year-olds in Virginia and 51.7 percent of 16-17 year olds in Virginia are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Children under 12 are not yet eligible to receive any available vaccination, which is one reason CDC updated its guidance to recommend universal masking in all K-12 schools. Masks are a proven tool to reduce in-school transmission, even in communities with high levels of spread.
“We know that masking is an effective tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly among children who are not yet eligible for vaccination,” said Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Norm Oliver. “As cases rise in our communities, universal masking and other mitigation measures will ensure our schools continue to be the safest place for Virginia’s children.”
Masks remain a political issue, with Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin and other GOP leaders pushing back against the order from Northam. “With today’s student mask mandate announcement, Ralph Northam, Terry McAuliffe and Richmond liberals have made clear that they will stop at nothing to impose their will and take away parents’ ability to decide what’s best for our kids. Make no mistake about it, this mask mandate is the first step towards returning to a full shutdown of our economy,” Youngkin said. “We must respect parents’ right to decide what is best for their own children. If parents, teachers, and children want to wear a mask, they absolutely should do that, but there should not be a statewide school mask mandate.”
Todd Gilbert, the Republican Leader in the House of Delegates also pushed back against the mandate from Northam. “Today’s statewide mandate is a triumph of bureaucracy over common sense. The idea of keeping masks on two-year-olds is the kind of thing that could only have been thought up by someone who has never dealt with a two-year-old,” Gilbert said. Further, local school divisions are best equipped to make their own decisions on whether or not to require masks in schools. I urge the Northam administration to change course. Regardless, this mandate cannot and must not be a trial run for a new round of lockdowns. Virginia has only begun to recover from the last round of overly broad restrictions. We can keep Virginians safe without destroying their livelihoods.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe’s campaign commented on the mask order. “Terry believes we have to do everything we can to keep our children safe while they return to schools in-person this fall, and he believes everyone should follow CDC guidelines in wearing masks and getting vaccinated,” said McAuliffe spokesperson Renzo Olivari. “He knows the only way we’re going to end this pandemic and keep our economy strong is by getting every eligible Virginian vaccinated as quickly as possible.”
Olivari continued, “While Glenn Youngkin is taking leadership cues from Ron DeSantis’ disastrous handling of the pandemic in Florida and even opposed funding for vaccine distribution, Terry is strongly encouraging every eligible Virginian to get the COVID-19 vaccine and has required his campaign staff do so.”
Public school leaders emphasized that the majority of Virginia’s school districts already required this, but a few localities had recently voted against requiring masks, leading to Northam taking this step.
“The vast majority of school districts have chosen to follow the CDC and keep their school communities safe,” said State Superintendent Dr. James Lane. “Universal masking has worked in school settings across Virginia for the past year and a half, and it remains a critical part of our safety protocols. I’m grateful to Governor Northam and Dr. Oliver for this order, which will ensure uniformity across all school districts and keep students safely in their classrooms—no matter where they live in Virginia.”
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