(WWJ) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is offering praise to school districts and local governments requiring face coverings in school buildings as the school year begins.
At this point, the governor said "smart mask policies" cover more than 757,904 students, or 60.5% of students in Michigan.
The number of school districts with mask mandates is now at 229, she said. after Mount Pleasant Public Schools recently joined the group.
Whitmer said face coverings have been scientifically proven to help decrease the spread of the coronavirus, and she hopes to see more students covered going forward.
The governor released the following statement on Wednesday:
“After 19 months of COVID, the science is clear: vaccines and masks keep kids safe and help them continue learning in person.
“On vaccines, the message is simple: every eligible Michigander 12 and older should get their safe, effective, and FDA-approved, vaccine to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their community.
“On masks, both the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC have provided strong guidance to encourage school districts and local health departments to make the choice to put in place smart mask policies for students, teachers, and staff in schools regardless of vaccination status because it will allow everyone to stay safe while continuing to learn and grow in-person. I agree with our top health experts.
Related
“As of today, 229 districts totaling over 60.5% of Michigan students, are covered by smart mask policies implemented by their school district or local county health department. That number continues to increase, and we expect to see that trend continue.
“In other states, school and local authorities have been pressured, threatened, or outright banned from taking action to protect their students, teachers, and staff. Instead, in Michigan, we are working closely with local health departments and supporting school districts to make sure schools are prepared to protect students this academic year. With 60.5% of our students and counting protected by smart mask policies, Michigan’s local leaders are taking COVID seriously and their actions are helping to control the spread of the virus while allowing kids to continue learning in class.
“Districts and local public health leaders should keep working together to implement mask guidelines and create buy-in at the community level, which leads to better outcomes and better adherence to policies that keep kids, teachers, staff, and parents safe.
“Together, we can protect ourselves from COVID and ensure kids keep learning in-person.”
This comes after weeks of discussion and debate as to whether the state health department should implement a broad mask requirement covering all public schools. Despite her effusive response to local mandates, Whitmer continues to say her administration is not contemplating issuing a statewide mask mandate at this time.
The latest numbers, meanwhile, show that COVID-19 is still on the rise in Michigan in recent weeks; with an average of just over 1,500 new cases confirmed every day. There were also 19 new deaths reported in the four-day period that ended Tuesday.
More than 1,300 hundred people in Michigan, meanwhile, are currently hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19.
Get more updates statistics, plus information on testing and vaccinations at michigan.gov/coronavirus/.
Related
![Health dept. reports 31 COVID-19 outbreaks in Michigan schools as school year begins [LIST]](https://radioimg.audacy.com/aiu-media/GettyImages1249207869-1-bb08a734-c23a-4d49-b0a3-d15e66b48919.jpg?crop=16:9)
Related
