Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Virginia K-12 Students Are Still Required to Wear Masks in School

Virginia K-12 students must still wear masks indoors at public or private schools. (WYDaily/Courtesy of Unsplash)

STATEWIDE — K-12 students in Virginia will still need to wear masks while in school through at least July 25. 

In a news release sent out Thursday, July 1, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) encourages Virginians to continue wearing masks indoors to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), particularly those over the age of two who are not fully or not qualified to be vaccinated. 

The release also notes that, in accordance with an Order of Public Health Emergency issued by the Commonwealth’s State Health Commissioner Dr. M. Norman Oliver, masks must be worn by anyone age five or older while indoors at a public or private K-12 school.

As of July 1, the order is in effect until July 25. 

Federal law also requires masks on planes, buses, school buses, trains and all other forms of public transportation.

VDH encourages those that are fully vaccinated (either two weeks following the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or two weeks following the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine) to still wear masks whenever they feel more comfortable doing so even in places where makes are not required.

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