The CDC is recommending that school districts across the U.S. continue mask protocols at least through the end of this school year
The update comes after last week’s CDC announcement that fully vaccinated Americans can return to nearly normal mask-free lives with a few exceptions.
CDC officials said the school masks guidelines should stay in place mainly because kids under the age of 12 are not yet eligible to get the vaccine.
From BusinessInsider.com:
Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Sunday the agency’s guidance on school openings wouldn’t change before the end of the current academic year.
“We’ve got a lot of questions about schools,” Walensky told CNN’s Dana Bash during an appearance on “State of the Union.” “We will not be changing our guidance for the end of this school year. Most kids will not be vaccinated or fully vaccinated before the end of this year, and we’re going to work on updating our school guidance.”
The US Food and Drug Administration also last week issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12-15.
The CDC said it plans to officially update guidance for schools in the next few weeks to help districts prepare for the 2021-2022 school year.
Susan Saunders 5/17/21
