Masks must stay on in California schools. For now.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services Secretary, said in a press conference on Monday that the state is hoping to make a decision on masking in classrooms in two weeks. By Feb. 28, Ghaly said public health officials are hopeful they will have enough data to lift the mandate.
"(COVID-19 cases) have dropped over 75% compared to a month ago," Ghaly said on Monday.
Over the seven days ending Feb. 4, when complete data was most recently available, California averaged 62.4 cases per day for every 100,000 residents. That was lower than last January's peak, when vaccines weren't yet widely available, and almost twice as many as the delta variant peak last August (33.7 per 100,000 residents).
Hospitalizations have also dropped, and deaths are trending downward. Both metrics are lower than the peak just over a year ago, and slightly higher than or on par with with the delta peak from August.
"The idea that we'll continue to see reductions in numbers is very important for the decisions that we're making now," Ghaly said.
With California set to lift its mask mandate for public indoor spaces starting on Wednesday, chief among those decisions is whether to lift the statewide mask mandate for schools.
Ghaly said he anticipates the state doing so in two weeks, provided California COVID-19 data continues to indicate that the worst of the omicron variant's surge is behind us. He added that state officials need to take "the time to prepare and work with the school community" and "communities at-large."
California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd said in a statement on Monday that the organization supported Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration deciding "to pause and gather more information to make a science-based decision on school masking that responds to this moment in the pandemic."
"We know that masking, strong testing programs and having good school ventilation systems in place have been key to ensuring the stability of in-person teaching and learning," Boyd said.
While nearly 65% of Californians aged 12-17 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, shy of 28% of state residents aged 5-11 have completed their vaccination series. Meanwhile, fewer than 29% of children aged 12-17 in the state have received a booster shot.
Ghaly said he understands the frustration of some parents who want the school masking mandate lifted immediately, but he said it's important for schools to be safe for all students.
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