Utah Gov. Gary Herbert will require face masks in public schools for all K-12 students, faculty, staff, and visitors this fall to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Herbert, a Republican, made the announcement on Thursday and said school boards and principals can be more lenient in the mandate for young students.
Today, I am announcing that we are mandating that all students, faculty, staff and visitors in all K-12 school districts and charter schools will wear a mask in buildings and on buses.
— Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) July 9, 2020
“Some flexibility will be given to school boards and principals to accommodate younger children, and we call on those local leaders to use common sense in the flexibility they use,” Herbert said.
Herbert added that the state is working with school boards and districts to get them to open up in the fall. He said that each district needs to have a plan in place by Aug. 1 about how they plan to proceed.
The governor’s announcement comes as many other states consider whether or not to reopen schools this fall, as urged by President Trump. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laid out a list of public health guidelines for a safe reopening of schools, including using face coverings and introducing physical barriers around students to ensure social distancing.
Utah has had over 27,000 coronavirus cases and just over 200 deaths. The state experienced its highest single-day increase on Wednesday, reporting 722 new cases.
