Carney to end Delaware’s indoor mask mandate, but extends school mask mandate
The state’s universal indoor mask mandate will be lifted Friday, Gov. John Carney said.
The governor announced in a news release the indoor mask mandate will expire at 8 a.m. Friday. However, the school mask mandate will remain in effect until March 31.
Carney signed a revision to the State of Emergency order he put into effect on Jan. 3, the fourth such revision, which requires masks to be worn in child care facilities and schools, for an additional eight weeks.
“We’re in a much better place than we were several weeks ago in the middle of the Omicron surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” Carney said in the release. “I want to be clear about this point – COVID is still circulating in our communities. And the virus still poses a risk of serious illness, particularly among those who are not up to date on their vaccinations.”
Carney urged children to become vaccinated, an area where the state continues to see low vaccination rates, according to the release.
“For all the parents out there – the best way to keep your child in school learning, and to prevent them from getting sick, is to get them vaccinated,” Carney said. “It’s that simple. I want to thank all Delawareans for taking this threat seriously.”
The deadline extension, according to the release, will allow schools time to ponder local mask mandate requirements while allowing the Division of Public Health and the Department of Education to work with schools on quarantine and contact tracing updates.
This article was originally posted on Carney to end Delaware’s indoor mask mandate, but extends school mask mandate