GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Kent County and Ottawa County Health Departments have ordered students, staff and visitors to wear masks in pre-k through 6th-grade educational settings.
Health officials believe this will protect those vulnerable to the virus, help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools and minimize interruptions to in-person learning.
This order comes the week after concerned parents rallied for and against a formal mask mandate outside of the Kent County Health Department's office.
“This was a necessary decision as we are seeing rapid increases in COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant,” said Dr. Adam London, administrative health officer at the Kent County Health Department.
“It also appears as though this variant may be more likely to cause serious illness and hospitalization, so we need to take precautions to keep our children healthy and in school.”
There are a few exceptions to the order:
1. Persons in the act of eating or drinking.
2. Persons under the age of four years; however, supervised masking is recommended for children who are at least two years of age.
3. Persons with developmental conditions of any age attending school for whom it has been demonstrated that the use of a face covering would inhibit the person's access to education. These are limited to persons with an Individualized Education Plan, Section 504 Plan, Individualized Healthcare Plan or equivalent.
4. Vaccinated teachers who are working with children who are hard of hearing or students with developmental conditions who benefit from facial cues.
5. Persons who have a medical reason confirmed in writing from a Medical Doctor (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) currently licensed to practice medicine in the State of Michigan.
While this masking order only applies to younger students, both health departments are strongly urging school administrators to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.
Health officials are also encouraging those who are eligible to get vaccinated.
You can read the full order here.
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