Last Friday, February 25, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") announced that it will no longer require that masks be worn by individuals traveling on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early childcare programs. This change aligns with the CDC's updated guidance, which no longer recommends universal indoor mask wearing in K-12 schools and early education settings in areas where community transmission of COVID-19 is at a Low or Medium level.
CDC Will No Longer Require Masks on School Buses or Vans
As discussed in our prior posts here and here, the CDC previously issued
an order requiring individuals traveling on school buses to wear
masks unless an exclusion or exception applied. In its
February 25 guidance, the CDC announced:
Effective February 25, 2022, CDC is exercising its enforcement discretion to not require that people wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs.
The CDC noted that school systems may, at their discretion, choose to require that individuals wear masks on buses and vans.
CDC Recommendations for Masks in Schools
In creating its new guidance, the CDC examined a combination of
three metrics (new COVID-19 admissions, percent of occupied
inpatient beds, and total new COVID-19 cases) to identify three
categories of COVID-19 community levels: Low, Medium, and High.
As of the date of this alert, all Connecticut counties have
been identified as Low or Medium Community Levels.
- In areas where COVID-19 Community Levels are High, the CDC recommends that individuals wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status, including in K-12 and other indoor community settings.
- In areas where COVID-19 Community Levels are Low or Medium, the CDC recommends strategies other than mask wearing, including but not limited to maintaining improved ventilation, ensuring access to testing, and considering implementing screening or other testing strategies.
Regarding schools, the CDC stated that additional prevention layers, such as physical distancing and contact tracing, may be implemented, based on the particular characteristics of the setting and/or in the event of an outbreak. The CDC further noted: "At all levels, people can wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by personal level of risk. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask." Finally, in this latest guidance, the CDC continues to recommend that those who are immunocompromised or who live with individuals at high risk for severe disease should continue to consider wearing masks even if not otherwise required.
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