OAKLAND — A month after the state lifted its requirement that college students and employees put on masks in faculties, the Oakland Unified Faculty District has introduced it would raise its indoor masks mandate, too.
In a memo despatched to high school households Friday, the district’s “COVID Security Crew” indicated that district faculties and associated amenities would require masks by Sunday, April 24. Beginning Monday, April 25, masking indoors will probably be “strongly really useful” however not required.
“As you recognize, OUSD has stored the indoor masks requirement in place to make certain we didn’t see a significant surge popping out of spring break,” the memo states. “Luckily, the numbers inside OUSD and countywide have stayed comparatively low following spring break. Nevertheless, there may be at all times the likelihood that we would wish to revert to requiring indoor masks if we obtain new steerage from public well being officers.”
A web-based dashboard that displays the district’s variety of reported COVID instances amongst college students and employees for the week prior reveals that final week — the most recent out there knowledge — there have been solely three confirmed, reported instances of COVID amongst college students within the district and no instances amongst employees.
The COVID staff warned within the memo that masking might proceed to be required in some instances, similar to following a optimistic prognosis of COVID-19, and it urged college students to proceed masking even with out the mandate.
“We should be clear that COVID remains to be very current in our neighborhood, even whereas transmission charges and hospitalizations are decrease than earlier this yr,” the e-mail says.
The district was one in all a number of within the state that held off on lifting the indoor masking necessities when California rescinded its mandate on March 12. On the time, Oakland Unified officers mentioned they might reassess the mandate after everybody returned from spring break, which was the primary week of April. The district dropped its requirement to put on masks open air in school campuses on March 21.
The problem turned a flashpoint for folks and others who've strongly resisted masking necessities for youngsters, together with some who known as into board conferences in current months to precise their frustration with the mandates.
Medical opinions differ as researchers attempt to assess the results of masking on kids. A current research out of Spain discovered no variations in transmission charges amongst unmasked five-year-olds and masked six-year-olds.
Alameda County well being officers, just like the state, provided the choice to drop masks mandates final month, however they're nonetheless “strongly recommending” that kids proceed to put on masks.
Oakland Unified can also be nonetheless encouraging college students to get vaccinated and examined, which college households can do at varied college campuses. In January, its board voted to delay till the autumn a proposed requirement that each one college students be absolutely vaccinated to attend campus in individual.