MALDEN, Mass. (AP) — Students and employees in Massachusetts public schools will be required to wear face coverings indoors until at least the end of February.
The mask requirement extension announced Monday by state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley comes as new confirmed cases of the coronavirus surge among students and staff at the state’s schools, causing staffing shortages at some.
Nearly 39,000 students and more than 12,000 faculty and staff tested positive in the week ending Jan. 6.
The department will continue to give local school committees the option of lifting indoor mask requirements if at least 80% of all students and staff in a school building are vaccinated.
The Associated Press
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