February 27th, 2022
Today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced she is lifting the mask mandate for schools as of this Wednesday, March 2. This is an appropriate and welcome decision based on data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that shows most of New York State — and Monroe County — are no longer considered to have a high transmission rate of COVID.
Lifting of the mask requirement allows school districts to go mask-optional and let parents decide if their children should still mask. This is a smart and prudent option. We urge parents that feel the need for continued masking of their children to do so — and for those that opt not to mask to respect everyone’s personal decision.
Last week, Monroe County distributed 250,000 high quality adult and pediatric masks to school districts countywide. The county will continue to distribute rapid home test kits free to the public and will announce an updated distribution plan tomorrow.
