By Tim Mastro

WILMINGTON — Gov. John Carney announced Tuesday everyone kindergarten-age and older in K-12 schools and child care centers must wear face coverings indoors effective Monday, Aug. 16, regardless of vaccination status.

The requirement covers both public and private schools in Delaware. Child care homes and centers are strongly encouraged to require masks for children 2 years old to kindergarten inside their facilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19, per Gov. Carney’s office. Children younger than 2 years old should not wear masks due to risk of suffocation.

The statewide mask requirement in schools will be formalized later this week. Gov. Carney’s office said the mandate is consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, and “will help all Delaware students safely return to classrooms full-time this fall for the 2021-2022 school year.”

“There’s no higher priority than getting all Delaware children back in their classrooms full-time this fall,” Gov. Carney said in a statement. “This consistent, statewide approach will help students, educators and staff return to school safely and without disruption. Vaccination remains the best way to finally put an end to this pandemic. These COVID-19 vaccines are free, safe and highly effective against COVID-19 infection and serious illness. If you haven’t gotten your vaccine, consider it. Talk to your doctor and your friends who have received their shot. That’s how we’ll keep students in classrooms and keep moving forward.”

The announcement did not mention how athletics would be affected by the mask requirement. The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association has a board meeting scheduled for Thursday.

Children younger than 12 remain ineligible for COVID-19 vaccination at this time.

Jane Brady, Delaware’s Republican Party chair, released a statement in response to the mask requirement in schools, calling it “shortsighted and misguided,” saying it “fails to consider the negative physical and emotional impact being required to wear a mask has had on students throughout our state and this country.”

“The decision should be made at the local school board level, where parents can have direct input into the decision,” Ms. Brady said. “When the state first required students and the public to wear a mask, we had no other option to try and prevent the spread of the disease. We do now have an effective alternative — vaccination. To protect our kids in school, we should make sure that everyone who deals with them is vaccinated or is tested regularly.”

“Parents are not opposed to wearing masks in the schools because they don’t care about the safety of their children,” Ms. Brady added. “They are opposed because they’ve seen directly and daily the impact wearing a mask has had on their child.”

Gov. Carney also announced Tuesday state employees and visitors to Delaware state facilities must wear masks indoors, consistent with CDC guidance, starting Monday, Aug. 16. This applies to all individuals, regardless of their vaccination status.

Additional requirements around vaccination and testing for state employees and others are expected to be announced in the coming days, according to a press release.

Additionally, Gov. Carney formally extended the Public Health Emergency order in place to allow the State of Delaware and medical providers to continue COVID-19 vaccination and testing programs. Under Delaware law, Public Health Emergency declarations must be renewed every 30 days.

Gov. Carney’s announcement came as Delaware is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 case levels and hospitalizations. The state is averaging 191.1 new positive cases per day over the last week — the highest mark since May 6.

The number of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 is at 95, one day after it broke the 100-mark for the first time since May 10. Of those currently hospitalized, four cases are considered critical.

All three Delaware counties have “high” levels of COVID-19 spread, according to CDC data. The CDC recommends masks be worn in indoor settings where COVID-19 spread is “substantial” or “high,” referenced in Gov. Carney’s statement.

The three Delaware counties are considered to have high levels of virus transmission because they each have averaged more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people over the last week, per the CDC’s criteria.

One new COVID-19-related death was announced on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 1,836. The most recent death was an 88-year-old Sussex County individual who was not vaccinated, the Delaware Division of Public Health said.

As of Monday, 73.7% of Delaware adults, and 71.6% of those 12 and older, have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to data via the CDC.