Maryland elementary school brings back MASKS for kids as it forces third-graders to don N-95s again after spate of pupils testing positive for COVID-19

A Washington DC elementary school has sparked outrage following the reinstatement of pandemic-era mask mandates despite only a handful of schoolchildren testing positive for Covid-19.

In a letter sent to parents Tuesday, the principal of Maryland’s Rosemary Hills Elementary School, Rebecca Irwin Kennedy, said she made the move after “three or more individuals” tested positive in the past 10 days.

She demanded students wear thick N95 masks to “keep our school environment as safe as possible,” despite a recent study that found the tight-fitting mask could expose users to dangerous levels of toxic chemicals.

And while even controversial medical guru Dr. While Anthony Fauci admits there is a lack of evidence the masks stop the spread of Covid, Kennedy told parents the N95s won’t become optional until 10 days later.

The letter sparked widespread anger among those who see the decision as a slippery slope back to Covid lockdowns, with Donald Trump Jr. on X wrote: ‘DO NOT FOLLOW!!!’

The letter was reportedly sent to parents of students in a class at the school, informing them that their children will be forced to wear masks again so they can continue to teach in person.

Kennedy wrote that additional N95 masks have already been distributed to students and staff, who must wear them for 10 days before they become “optional.”

She added that children will be sent home rapid tests by the school, along with CDC advice on how often parents should test their children after exposure.

“If at any time in the next 10 days your child develops COVID-19-like symptoms such as fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, or any other COVID-19 indicators, they should stay home from school and be tested,” the letter continues.

“Consider contacting a healthcare provider if symptoms are severe or do not improve, or if your child is at greater risk for complications from a COVID-19 infection.”

The Montgomery County Public Schools System (MCPS), Kennedy and her assistant principal Cassandra Scott did not immediately respond to a request for comment when DailyMail.com contacted them.

MCPS lifted its mask mandates in March 2022, and Maryland has not implemented a statewide mask mandate as cases increase nationwide.

Experts have stressed that the recent spate of Covid cases is not worth overreacting to after the US recorded a rise in hospitalizations from the virus for the first time this year.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 8,000 patients were admitted to hospitals nationwide in the last week of August, a 12 percent increase from the previous seven days and the first week-on-year. -week increase since December.

Despite the increase, interest rates remain historically low. By comparison, there were 150,000 Covid admissions per week at the height of the pandemic in January 2021, and hospital admissions reached 44,000 per week earlier this year.

Experts have attributed the spike to the natural decline in immunity, which occurs about six months after the previous wave of infections.

The decision to return to wearing masks in Maryland also comes despite experts warning that the highly contagious virus is likely to remain a permanent part of everyday life, similar to the common cold.

“One thing Americans need to understand: SARS-CoV-2 and its variants will never go away,” Dr. Brett Osborn, a board-certified neurosurgeon in West Palm Beach, Florida. Fox News digital.

“It’s here to stay because the mutation rate is high, just like the flu.”

Estimates suggest that about 96 percent of Americans have built up some level of immunity to Covid, thanks to both previous infections and vaccinations.

The high level of immunity suggests the country will fight off new waves of infection much better than at the height of the pandemic, with the CDC noting that deaths have fallen to record lows as officials downplay the surge.

Dr. Brendan Jackson, a Covid incident manager for the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, said: “If you can imagine the decline in cases over the past six months looking like a ski run — down, down, down — we are just I’m starting to see a kind of small ski jump at the bottom.’

A CDC spokeswoman added, “U.S. Covid rates are still near historic lows after seven months of steady declines.

“Initial indicators of Covid activity (ED visits, test positivity and wastewater levels) preceded an increase in hospital admissions over the past week.”

Despite promising directions from medical officials, fears of Covid returning also prompted New Yorkers to put on masks for their Labor Day celebrations, a NYC health department spokesperson told DailyMail.com that wearing a mask can be a ‘good idea’. ‘

Concerns about the reintroduction of mask mandates are especially maddening to some due to the apparent flip-flops on the matter by Covid czar Dr Anthony Fauci.

As early as April 2020, he told anxious Americans, “If everyone does that, we’ll all protect each other.” Because the data is, it’s more efficient to prevent it from being sent to others than it is to prevent it from being sent to yourself.”

Guidelines led by Fauci mandated that people wear masks in schools, public transport, restaurants and workplaces.

But in a recent interview with CNNhe relegated the importance of masking.

“When you talk about the effect on the epidemic or the pandemic as a whole, the data is less strong.

“But there are other studies that show on an individual level that they can be protective for individuals.”

The former head of health care was responding to questions about a study from Tom Jefferson, a senior associate tutor at the University of Oxford, whose research concluded that “there’s just no evidence that they — masks — make any difference.”

‘Point.’