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Murphy said the requirement applies at the start of the 2021-2022 school year, regardless of vaccination status.
The decree Murphy signed covers public, private, and church buildings for preschool, elementary and secondary schools.
While the COVID numbers in Garden State are not as bad as in many other states, cases there are five times higher than a month ago: around 1,000 new cases a day and climbing.
The governor said the state’s 600 districts are only offering full-time in-person learning this fall – and now that learning has to be done in a totally hidden way.
READ ALSO | Murphy tears up vaccine protesters as ‘ultimate knuckleheads’
Health experts say the delta variant spreads much more easily than earlier versions of the coronavirus.
Add to that the fact that most children still cannot get the vaccine. So officials fear it could lead to a perfect storm in classrooms.
“The disease is entering schools from high rates in the community,” said CDC director Rochelle Walensky. “We know how to keep our community safe. Our children deserve to have safe full-time in-person learning with prevention measures in place that include masks for everyone in schools.”
The mask debate has also been a hot topic in New York City, particularly Long Island.
Now we’ve learned that New York State leaves the decision to mask to local school districts, telling them to follow CDC guidelines, which recommends universal masking.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio has already said the mask’s mandate will remain in place.
READ ALSO | Local hospitals prepare for possible increase in number of COVID-19 pediatric patients
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
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