A new executive order signed Thursday will require face masks in all child-care centers and camps.
The order includes various requirements based on age and place. For staff and kids ages 12 and up, face coverings are required when in classrooms, homes, cabins or similar indoor small-group settings. Staff and kids ages 2 and up are required to have masks on while riding school buses or other transportation, and staff and children ages 4 and up are required to wear a face covering in all indoor common spaces. It's strongly encouraged that children 2 and up have masks on in indoor spaces.
Child-care centers located in a region that is in Phase 5 of the MI Safe Start Plan are not required to wear masks, but it's still strongly recommended.
Face coverings are also not required for children who are medically intolerant, under the age of 2, taking part in high-intensity activities, socially distanced outdoors or eating.
In a release about the order from the governor's office, Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said masks continue to be one of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Be a role model for your children and demonstrate the importance of wearing a mask. Have your child practice properly wearing a mask – over their nose, mouth and chin – while they are at home so they are comfortable with it in public," she said. "It will take all of us, of all ages, doing our part to continue slowing the spread of this disease and to protect our families and communities.”
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