By Tim MastroWILMINGTON — Tuesday will be the last day masks will be required in Delaware public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities.
Gov. John Carney announced Monday he will sign an order terminating the COVID-19 state of emergency and the school mask mandate. Masking will no longer be required by the state of Delaware in K-12 schools, on school buses or in child care facilities after 6 this evening.
The announcement is consistent with new masking guidance issued Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gov. Carney’s office said in a statement.
Gov. Carney announced a few weeks ago the mask mandate would end March 31, leaving the decision in the hands of local school districts. A majority of districts said at their most recent board meetings they were preparing to make masks optional. Some districts, such as Cape Henlopen and Appoquinimink, announced emergency meetings Monday to finalize their new policies.
Capital School District Superintendent Dr. Vilicia Cade said masks will be optional after Tuesday via a post on the district’s Facebook page.
“We respect that masking is a personal decision for our staff and our students along with their families,” Dr. Cade wrote. “We know that our students’ and staff’s decisions may reflect the differences in our school community. To this, we embrace our diversity! Some may choose to wear masks while others may not. Regardless of each individual’s decision, we will look for all students and staff to feel comfortable within our schools. It is our expectation that no one should criticize, challenge, or mock others about their individual choice.”
Caesar Rodney School District spokesman Mike Williams said the district will “comply with Gov. Carney’s removal of the mask requirement in schools and on school buses, also as stated in the Governor’s order, the district will continue to support those who wish to wear facemasks in school or on a school bus.”
“Currently, we are waiting to hear from Dover Air Force Base leadership for any changes regarding mask status requirements for staff and students of Dover Air Base Middle School and Welch Elementary School,” Mr. Williams added. “Since these schools are within the DAFB jurisdiction they are required to follow the federal regulations which require masks.”
The state said the Delaware Department of Education and Division of Public Health have issued updated guidance to district and school leaders to aid response efforts following the expiration of the mask rule. There have been 9,690 in-person contagious cases in K-12 public and private schools this academic year, per DPH statistics. This represents 6.1% of the combined estimated total of 156,794 K-12 public and private students. DPH has attributed that low level of transmission to masking.
Gov. Carney also announced that vaccine or testing requirements for educators and state employees will expire at 11:59 p.m. Monday. The mask mandate in most state facilities, including courts, will also be lifted starting Wednesday.
The state of emergency order is being replaced by a more narrow public health order, according to Gov. Carney’s office. The updated order will allow hospitals and long-term care facilities continued flexibility to respond to cases of COVID-19.
Gov. Carney attributed Monday’s announcement to a rapid decline in Delaware’s COVID-19 statistics.
“There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about where we’re headed,” said Gov. Carney in a statement. “Over the last month, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have fallen dramatically, and we are clearly moving into a new phase of this pandemic. (Monday’s) announcement is consistent with new guidance from the CDC. And it’s consistent with the latest thinking from Delaware’s experts at the Division of Public Health. Delawareans who want to continue wearing a mask — including children in our schools — should be supported and encouraged to do so, even as we move into this new phase. We’ll also continue to encourage all eligible Delawareans to get up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations.”
DPH reported 90 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Monday’s update, well down from the peak of 759 on Jan. 12. The state’s hospitalizations were as low as 81 in Sunday’s report, which is the fewest since Aug. 7.
Delaware has averaged 103.4 new cases of the virus over the last seven days — the lowest seven-day rolling average since July 30. The state’s seven-day rolling average for percentage of positive tests has fallen to 4.3%, which is below the recommended mark of 5% by the World Health Organization.
