Hawaii has been sticking to mask obligations longer than any other state. We waited to withdraw the requirements for most indoor public facilities until late March, when the first Omicron surge recedes. Nevertheless, the requirements for public schools were maintained.
However, on August 1, when most public school students in Hawaii return to the classroom for a new school year, the rule, which is the last state-wide school mask obligation in the United States, will be abolished, state officials said Tuesday. Announced in. (The state lifted the obligation to use outdoor masks on school campuses in early March.)
“We are really thinking about moving to a more normal classroom experience this fall,” Dr. Sarah Kemble, a state epidemiologist at the Hawaii Department of Health, said at a virtual press conference. “This is the best opportunity for us not yet moving towards this new normal.”
To reach that goal, she said, masks will be an option in Hawaii’s public schools, eliminating the need for quarantine due to infections in the classroom. Instead, if the class has a cluster of infections, the use of indoor masks is recommended in certain classrooms, Dr. Kemble said.
If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decides that the Covid-19 community level is “medium” or “high,” face covering at school is only “highly recommended” and not required, Dr. Kemble said.
The CDC makes decisions using local hospitalization rates and hospital capacity measurements, as well as the number of cases. This helps people decide for themselves whether to wear a mask or take other precautions. At high levels, the CDC recommends wearing appropriate masks in public places, including schools, regardless of vaccination status.
According to this measurement, nearly 60% of US counties currently have low Covid-19 levels in their communities. But of the four counties in Hawaii three Is in the high risk category and one is rated as medium risk.
“The situation at Covid has changed. The pandemic is on a different track,” Dr. Kemble discussed about the end of the school’s Maskman date. She cited several factors behind the decision, including the wide availability of vaccines for all age groups and the adequate supply of test kits.
Heads of federal health officials urged Americans to do more to protect themselves from Covid this week as levels of the rapidly expanding Omicron subvariety known as BA.5 are rising. .. Authorities pointed out a wide range of strategies, including the CDC’s mask recommendations for high-risk counties.
Dr. Ashish K. Jar, President Biden’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator, said: Experts say there is no evidence that BA.5 causes more serious illness than previous versions of the virus.
“We shouldn’t disrupt our lives, but that’s the reality we have to deal with,” said Dr. Anthony S. Forch, Principal Medical Adviser for Mr. Biden’s Pandemic. Cannot be denied. “
According to the CDC, about 44% of Hawaiian children aged 5-11 years are fully vaccinated, as are 85% aged 12-17, but only 26% of adolescents aged 12-17 add. I am immunized.
“It’s a really good time to boost, as I don’t know if the students in the class sitting next to your child will mask,” she said, asking her to vaccinate her child before the new school year. I urged my parents to start.
Heidi Armstrong, interim deputy director of the state’s education department, said the state’s indoor mask mission was not popular with some families. However, she emphasized on Tuesday that she succeeded in keeping more students in the classroom after the turmoil of the early months of the pandemic.
“The choice is absolutely respected,” Armstrong said, for students, teachers, or employees who want to wear masks indoors, even when the mission is complete.
The Hawaii Teachers Association has expressed concern about the quality of ventilation in many schools and wears masks indoors to maximize the potential for members to stay healthy due to the lack of substitute teachers. We recommend that you continue to do so.
“In order for Mask’s obligations to be successfully lifted, we need to implement a clear mitigation strategy,” Logan Okita, vice president of the group, said in a statement Tuesday.
Oahu’s elementary school teacher, Okita, said on Tuesday that teachers, students and families “have time to process that information, make decisions and have conversations at home.”