By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


State health officials are recommending masks for students in K-12 schools.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued updated recommendations for schools designed to help prevent transmission of COVID-19 within buildings, reduce disruptions to in-person learning and help protect vulnerable individuals and individuals who are not fully vaccinated.

The guidance was updated to reflect current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on masking and prevention strategies to help operate schools more safely. It includes guidance on assessing risk levels when making decisions about implementing layered prevention strategies against COVID-19.

Some key strategies recommended by the CDC to keep schools safer include promoting vaccination, consistent and correct mask use, physical distancing, screening and testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing, and cleaning and disinfecting.

The CDC’s order requires all persons – regardless of vaccination status – wear masks on public transportation, including school buses. The CDC further recommends schools maintain at least three feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask-wearing by students, teachers and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

When it is not possible to maintain a three-foot physical distance, the department says it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking, screening testing, cohorting, and improved ventilation to help reduce transmission risk.

The following factors are to be used when determining mitigation strategies: level of community transmission of COVID-19; vaccination coverage in the community and among students, teachers and staff; use of a frequent screening testing program for students, teachers and staff who are not fully vaccinated; COVID-19 outbreaks or increasing trends in the school or surrounding community; and ages of children served in the school and risk associated with school, extracurricular and social activities.

More information is available in the attached press release. AP Photo.