The Associated Press reports that Governor Tom Wolf later today will announce that masks will be required in all Pennsylvania K-12 schools to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The new mandate from the Pennsylvania Department of Health goes into effect on Tuesday, September 7th, which is the day after Labor Day, and the order requires students, teachers and staff to wear masks when indoors. This will not apply to student athletes while they are playing. The order will be in effect for all schools, whether they are public or private.
This comes after the Republican leaders in the House and Senate rejected a request from the Governor to pass legislation to require masks in the classroom. Republican lawmakers have said that while Covid-19 cases are spiking, local leaders are in the best position to respond to the pandemic. This also comes about a month after the Governor had ruled out a statewide mask mandate for schools after they were required last year for students to return to class.
The news conference is scheduled for 2:00 PM.
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