(WXYZ) — Washtenaw County is the latest county in metro Detroit that will require face masks indoors for all K-12 educational settings.
The health department issued two orders on Thursday – one that requires the face masks and another that requires isolation or quarantine. The county is now at the high transmission level under CDC guidelines.
“We are grateful to our local schools and districts that have already done the work to require masks and that continue to work closely with us on isolation and quarantine measures,” Jimena Loveluck, a health officer with Washtenaw County Health Department, said in a release. “Unfortunately, we are trending in the wrong direction, and it’s imperative that we use all of our tools to prevent and control COVID in educational settings and provide in-person learning as safely as possible.”
Both orders go into effect at 12 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
The mask requirement applies to public, private, vocational and charter schools that provide pre-K through 12th grade education.
The mask order does not apply to the following individuals:
- Those actively eating or drinking, swimming, or diving or who are alone in a room.
- Anyone under the age of four years; however, supervised masking is recommended for children who are at least two years of age.
- Anyone with developmental conditions attending school when the use of a face mask would inhibit the person’s access to education.
- Vaccinated staff working with children who are hard of hearing or students with developmental conditions who benefit from facial cues.
- Anyone who has a medical reason confirmed in writing from a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathic medicine currently licensed to practice medicine in the State of Michigan.
Both Oakland and Wayne counties also instituted mask requirements for educational settings, but Macomb County has not issued one.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
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