PASSAIC, N.J. (1010 WINS) — One of New Jersey's largest school districts is requiring students to mask up again in the final days before the holiday break due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Sandra Diodonet, the superintendent of schools for the City of Passaic, notified parents in a letter Tuesday that a mask mandate would go into effect on Wednesday.
"When Passaic County is in the moderate or below range, the mask mandate will be lifted," Diodonet added, according to the memo obtained by NorthJersey.com.
Daniel Rodriguez, the president of the school board, told the outlet that the mandate is part of the mask policy put in place last year. He said that the mandate was briefly reinstated in the spring too.
"We wanted to set an objective standard for when mask mandates would be required," he said.
The rollback comes as worries about a "tripledemic" of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) grow across the country.
The county, along with Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Union, Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset and Warren, are areas that currently have "high" levels of COVID, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
New Jersey also reported the highest number of COVID deaths in a single day since February on Tuesday, with 28 deaths.
The superintendent of Jersey City public schools told NBC 4 New York that "masks are an option for any student or staff member" and that "this week the schools will send home in-home COVID-19 tests."
However, it wasn't immediately clear if the other school districts would follow Passaic.
"It's harder to breathe with the masks on and I think we all wish we didn’t have to wear them, but it is for our health and safety," Passaic science teacher Jeffrey Dairman told NBC 4.
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