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Kent County commissioner urges mask mandate in schools

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — One Kent County commissioner is asking that masks be mandated in all schools in Kent County.

Commissioner Phil Skaggs is urging the Kent County Health Department to act quickly to put a mandate in place as the delta variant surges. Doctors are now seeing an increase in cases among children. The delta variant now accounts for more than 83 percent of COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children 12 and under are still not eligible to receive the vaccine, which is why Commissioner Skaggs is asking for the precaution to be put into place.

"Well, our kids are heading back to school. I think the number one priority here is to make sure that they get back to in-person learning. I think we learned last year that that's most effective for them," said Commissioner Skaggs.

Right now, school districts are allowed to decide for themselves if they will enforce mask wearing at school.

READ MORE: Vaccine timeline for young children, here's what you should know

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