N.J. Governor Declares a ‘Huge Step Back to Normalcy’ as School Mask Mandates Are Set to End

(TRENTON, N.J.) — New Jersey’s governor announced plans Monday to lift the statewide COVID-19 mask requirement in schools a month from now because of the rapid easing of the omicron surge, calling the move “a huge step back to normalcy for our kids.” Individual school districts will be free to continue requiring masks once the state mandate ends March 7, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said. New Jersey is one of a dozen states with mask mandates in schools, according to the nonpartisan National Academy for State Health Policy. New Jersey’s has been in place since classes resumed in person in September 2020. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Murphy cited the “dramatic decline in our COVID numbers” in announcing the rollback. The omicron variant fueled a spike in infections over the holidays, but cases in the state are down 50% and hospitalizations dropped off by one-third since last week, he said. Effective March 7, the statewide mask mandate in schools will be lifted. Balancing public health with getting back to some semblance of normalcy is not easy. But we can responsibly take this step due to declining COVID numbers and growth in vaccinations. https://t.co/CjnIYZycCe — Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) February 7, 2022 Omicron is likewise loosening its grip on most of the rest of the U.S., and that has raised hopes among politicians and public health experts that the pandemic may be about to enter a new phase in whi...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Education nationpod wire Source Type: news