Mask wearing should continue in schools for rest of year, CDC says

PITTSBURGH — Students and teachers should continue wearing masks and social distancing for the rest of the school year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC said it is not changing its guidance this school year mostly because not all students will be fully vaccinated by the end of the term.

Recommendations for schools are expected to be updated over the summer, in time for next school year.

CDC officials clarified the guidance after confusion last week, when the agency eased the mask guidance for people who are fully vaccinated. Pennsylvania followed suit.

>>STORY: CDC eases mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated Americans

Before the CDC clarified that schools K-12 should keep doing what they’re doing, Pittsburgh Public Schools said masks would still be required. Other school districts, including Fox Chapel, did the same.

The mask guidance isn’t limited to classrooms. Officials said students need to keep wearing masks on school buses, too.

>>STORY: Pennsylvania Department of Health: Fully vaccinated people don’t need mask in certain settings

Pennsylvania businesses have option to require people to wear masks

Cox Media Group