California, Oregon and Washington to end school mask mandates after March 11

LOS ANGELES, March 1

California, Oregon and Washington will cease to require face coverings in schools after March 11 as the latest COVID-19 surge ebbs, but mask mandates will remain for higher-risk settings such as hospitals and prisons, governors of the three states said.

The joint action, following similar moves announced recently by several East Coast states, including New York and New Jersey, comes after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday eased indoor masking guidelines for most of the nation.

Local governments and school districts will be free to keep their own mask mandates in place even after statewide requirements are lifted, the West Coast governors said.

“As we learn to live with this virus, we must remain vigilant,” Oregon Governor Kate Brown said in the joint statement.

Governor Gavin Newsom of California, the most populous US state with some 6 million school children and 40 million residents overall, said masks will no longer be required in schools and child care facilities after March 11, but “will be strongly recommended.”

“Masks are an effective tool to minimize spread of the virus and future variants, especially when transmission rates are high,” Newsom said.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Sunday that her state will end its mask mandate for schools and childcare facilities on Wednesday, citing a steep drop in COVID-19 cases. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced earlier this month that his state would remove its school mask mandate on March 7.

Connecticut’s mask mandate was due to end on Monday, while Delaware plans to keep its in place until March 31.

The United States has documented more than 950,000 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began about two years ago. Reuters