Oakland County health officials announced the county would lift its mask mandate for schools and daycares at the end of the month.
The Oakland County Health Division says it will lift its requirement to wear masks in schools and daycares on Feb. 28. The order obligated educational institutions to require students, teachers, and staff to wear a face covering in order to slow the transmission of COVID-19.
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The Health Division weighed several factors to determine the appropriate time to end the mask requirement in schools, including a sharp decline in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and increasing vaccination rates in Oakland County.
“As we see our critical measures of vaccinations, hospital admissions, and cases moving in a direction that tell us the COVID-19 impact on our community is greatly improving, the time is right to remove the mask order for daycares and educational institutions,” Health Division Medical Director Dr. Russell Faust said. “We must remain vigilant, however, while we remain in a pandemic. It is vital that we as individuals maintain the measures that are critical to limiting the spread of the virus while allowing businesses and schools to stay open, and our hospitals to operate safely.”
The Health Division still strongly recommends wearing a mask while in public indoor settings, including educational institutions.
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