With the start of the new school year less than two weeks away and a new COVID-19 surge fueled by the Delta variant taking hold across the country, Atlanta Public Schools has invoked a mask mandate for all students and employees.
Listen to your favorite News/Talk station now on Audacy.
The mandate was announced in a statement posted on the district’s website and on Twitter by Superintendent Lisa Herring and Board Chairman Jason Esteves.
“Healthy and safe learning environments for our students is a top priority,” Herring tweeted.
COVID-induced hospitalizations in Georgia increased 30% in the past week, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Delta variant is responsible for 70% of all new cases. Of the 480 patients hospitalized due to the coronavirus so far in July, 416 were not fully vaccinated, as per a report issued by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Atlanta’s mandate follows along with the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics that all students over the age of 2 be required to wear masks, whether or not they are vaccinated. Currently, the vaccine isn’t allowed to be administered to children under the age of 12.
