Minnesota Department of Health Recommending Masks in K-12 Schools

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KWNO)-The Minnesota Department of Health is recommending K-12 schools follow the CDC’s recently updated guidelines for in-person learning this fall.  

The CDC guidelines, announced on Tuesday, recommend that all students, staff, teachers, and visitors wear masks in school buildings regardless of vaccination status. The new guidance comes as the Delta variant continues to spread across the country.  

School districts are not mandated to follow the guidelines, however, in a press release, MDH says the recommendations are “designed to support local school boards and school leaders as they make decisions for the upcoming school year, and help Minnesota students get back in the classroom safely.” 

The mask mandate at Winona Area Public Schools buildings ended on July 1.  

“The WAPS Incident Command Advisory Team has continued to meet weekly throughout the summer to review the latest COVID-19 data as well as updated guidance from local, state, and national public health agencies. Any protocols for the upcoming school year will go before the school board for final approval before the school year begins on Tuesday, Sept. 7. These protocols will be communicated to our staff, our families, and our community through a variety of methods,” Communications Coordinator John Casper said in a statement to KWNO prior to MDH’s announcement.  

“Vaccination, masking, and physical distancing remain our best public health prevention strategies for slowing the spread of COVID-19,” Commissioner Malcolm said. “The Delta variant is proving to have an alarming ability to spread more easily, so it’s more important than ever that anyone eligible for vaccination get that protection as soon as possible, and follow the CDC’s guidance for continued masking, distancing and other prevention strategies to help avoid the widespread illnesses and community impacts we saw during the last school year.” 

The full CDC guidelines for in-person learning:    

• All people ages 12 years and older should get vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to in-person school, sports, or other activities to protect themselves and people around them who cannot get vaccinated. 
• All students, teachers, staff, and visitors in school buildings should wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status in order to protect those who cannot yet be vaccinated or who remain at higher risk because of immune-comprised status or other conditions. 
• Schools should maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms whenever possible. 
• Students, teachers, and staff should stay home if they have signs of any infectious illness, and should contact their health care provider for testing and care. 
• Students, teachers, and staff who have been fully vaccinated do not need to stay home even if they have had recent close contact with a confirmed case so long as they remain asymptomatic and do not test positive. Follow CDC testing guidance for anyone exposed to a confirmed case. 
• People who are not fully vaccinated and returning to in-person school, sports, or extracurricular activities (and their families) should get tested regularly for COVID-19 according to CDC guidance. 
• Schools should continue to strengthen good ventilation, rapid and thorough contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, handwashing, respiratory etiquette, cleaning, and disinfection as important layers of prevention to keep schools safe. 

“In-person learning is critical, not only when it comes to academics, but also for our students’ social-emotional well-being and mental health,” said Minnesota Education Commissioner Dr. Heather Mueller. “As we head back to school this fall, we must implement measures to protect the health and safety of all of our students, staff and families.”