Masks will not be mandatory in NJ schools this September unless districts want them – NorthJersey.com

New Jersey school districts will be allowed to determine whether students have to wear masks indoors beginning in September in a move announced by Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday, ending a statewide mask mandate for all schools.  

The announcement is a reversal of Murphy’s stance from just last month, when he said most elementary and middle school students would likely be required to wear masks at least at the beginning of the next academic year, when K-12 schools return to full-time, in-person learning. 

That stance led to a large demonstration earlier this month outside the Statehouse by some parents who called for an end to the mask mandate.

But on Monday, Murphy said only a “dramatic” setback in the battle against COVID-19 would cause him to reinstate a statewide mask mandate.

There are a few caveats, such as a recommendation that all students wear a mask while on a school bus. Other recommendations issued Monday include a staggered lunch schedule to ensure that cafeterias are not overcrowded, continued heavy-duty cleaning, maintaining ventilation with outdoor air when possible and preparing for remote learning if there is an outbreak.

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The move comes as some key COVID metrics have plateaued after a sharp decline that began in mid-April. 

Hospitalizations have hovered at 300 to 330 daily COVID patients for about 10 days, while those in intensive care have stayed around 50 to 60 during that same period. Almost all are unvaccinated New Jerseyans, state officials have said. The daily death toll, though, has remained in single digits for almost all of June. 

The Delta variant, a highly contagious strain of the COVID-19 virus, was detected recently in New Jersey and may be partially to blame for making the hospital numbers “go sideways,” as Murphy has described it.

Murphy relaxed mask-wearing indoors at schools earlier this month during a heat wave. Some schools, however, allowed students to ditch masks for the last few weeks of school even though temperatures had dropped.

A week before, Murphy said on national television that masks would likely be worn in September. 

“We’ll have masking in schools in the fall as a result of that,” he said on MSNBC. “I would suspect we’ll continue with some of the public health protocols inside the classroom and inside the school buildings.” 

Last month, Murphy suggested that high school students may be able to go to school unmasked since everyone 12 years and older had recently become eligible for a COVID vaccine. 

Pfizer and Moderna have begun testing their vaccines on children under 12. The results could come before the start of the school year. If the vaccines are effective, they could be available for youngsters in the fall.

More than 4.9 million New Jerseyans were fully vaccinated as of Monday — about 53% of the state’s population — but the daily vaccination rate has plummeted since early April.  

Murphy has suggested that mask rules for schools can be easily and quickly changed depending on whether key COVID-19 metrics drop or rise.

Schools cannot prevent students or staff from wearing masks, if they choose, under the guidance issued Monday by the Department of Education. 

With more than two months before the start of school, Murphy and other officials said Monday that the recommendations for reopening will likely be updated based on where COVID numbers are, along with guidance expected to be issued by the federal government this summer.

“The virus dictates the terms here, not us,” Murphy said.

Scott Fallon covers the environment for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news about how New Jersey’s environment affects your health and well-being,  please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: fallon@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @newsfallon