PA Updates Mask Rules For Schools

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania students who return to the classroom during the coronavirus pandemic will be mandated to wear a mask throughout the school day, even when seated 6 feet apart, according to updated guidance from the state.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Monday updated its guidance to reflect the change, which the agency said was prompted by recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Guidance and recommendations must evolve as more public health data and research becomes available," the Pennsylvania Department of Education said in a social media announcement related to change.

Previous guidance from the state Department of Education and Department of Health stated students could remove their face coverings as long as 6 feet of spacing could be maintained.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated their guidance, strongly recommending children age two and older wear face coverings at all times to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the state agencies said in the announcement on the update.

"Given the update made by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and consistent with Secretary Levine’s Universal Face Coverings Order, the Pennsylvania Department of Health is requiring students wear face coverings at all times while in school - even when 6 feet of social distancing can be achieved," the Department of Education said.

Under the updated guidance, the only time students will be permitted to remove their masks is when eating or drinking when spaced at least 6 feet apart, when wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task, or during "face-covering breaks" while spaced at least 6 feet apart. Those breaks are to last no longer than 10 minutes, the state guidance said.

The development comes just weeks before some parents are preparing to send their students back to the classroom for the first time in many months. However, many schools in Pennsylvania have opted to start the year virtually and forgo in-person at the outset of the year.

As of Monday data, there have been 124,844 coronavirus infections in Pennsylvania since the start of the pandemic. The state's death toll stands at 7,468.

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