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Seventeen Republican senators are calling on the Biden administration to rescind mask mandates for the federal Head Start preschool program, which still requires masks for children ages 2 and older.
The group is led by Senate Minority Whip John Tune RS.D. and Richard Burr.RC, a ranking member of the Health Education, Work and Pensions Committee. They specifically ask Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to repeal the interim final rule (IFR) that requires all staff and participants in Head Start programs aged 2 and older to be masked.
“As you are aware, as of January 31, 2022, this IFR requires Head Start staff and volunteers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Head Start staff and volunteers are also required to wear masks. must be worn,” the letter said. “But beyond these mandates, the IFR also recommends that students aged 2 and older wear masks, despite World Health Organization recommendations against mask mandates for children aged 5 and under. I am requesting.
Emergency COVID money from early 2021 bills will be slow to be used and will be used for many non-COVID uses
Head Start primarily serves low-income children aged 3 and 4, according to its website.
The letter comes amid growing concerns that a pandemic involving masking may have harmed children and their development. Meanwhile, across the country, most school districts have lifted mask mandates.
On the other hand, the IFR on masking in the Headstart program said reducing cases and keeping daycare and kindergarten centers open were strong reasons for universal masking.
“Closure imposes challenges on Head Start children and families by diminishing their ability to directly participate in Head Start,” says the IFR. Closure also reduces the ability of parents to work and participate in schooling.”
In the letter, the senator also noted that the Senate passed a resolution disapproving the ongoing requirement for children in the Head Start program to wear masks, but said, “Unfortunately, President Biden promised to refuse it.”
“The country must treat COVID-19 as endemic and continue its transition back to a sense of normalcy, and it is past time for Washington bureaucrats to allow Head Start programs to do the same.” the letter said.
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Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis The office last week condemned the Biden administration’s ongoing mask mandate for low-income young children, saying it was an “unacceptable” harm to children that contradicts even current guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Current CDC guidelines recommend universal masking only in areas with high COVID-19 community levels.
Fox News’ Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.