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Hundreds of thousands of students across the US will be forced to wear face masks in class when schools return this week as controversial mandates return.
Despite covid infection rates stagnating for months, elementary and secondary schools in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have made face coverings a condition of entry for students returning from vacation.
Education officials say the policy is to prevent a spike in respiratory diseases after further mixing during the first normal Christmas and New Year in years.
But there’s little evidence that face masks actually reduce infection rates, and mounting research shows that the mandates stunted children’s social development and education, and robbed them of vital immunity to other seasonal bugs like the flu and the cold. RSV.
There is growing concern that harmful Covid policies could return to American life after the US government announced that all passengers from China, which suffered a major outbreak, would be tested upon entry, despite that there is no evidence that the policy works either.
Despite covid infection rates stagnating for months, elementary and secondary schools in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have made face coverings a condition of entry for students returning from vacation. A week-long mask mandate was implemented at a school in Washington last month and several states have issued mask recommendations to the public.
Residents of Seattle, Washington, live in one of 12 counties that now recommend residents wear masks (left). Los Angeles County is under a mask advisory after officials warned a mandate could soon be coming in the state earlier this month (right)
Philadelphia public schools will require students and staff to wear masks in the classroom for the first ten days after winter break, January 3-13. Officials cite ‘triple epidemic’ of Covid, RSV and flu as to why masks are needed (file photo)
Covid infections in the US are hovering around 400,000 a week now compared to 4 million this time last year and 1.3 million the year before.
Weekly cases have been stable since late summer, which has been attributed to high levels of immunity in populations through vaccination and waves of infections.
Schools in New Jersey are justifying the latest mask mandates as the state sees spikes in Covid, flu and RSV cases.
It comes as 22 states reported “very high” flu activity in the week before Christmas, up from 26 the week before. Six states recorded the highest levels of transmission, up from eight in early December.
The flu season in the United States came unusually early, although cases of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were reported for the second week in a row just before Christmas, meaning that the ‘triple epidemic’ in the United States could soon reach its peak. finish.
RSV is also a few weeks ahead of the flu crisis. Cases peaked in November, but rates are still very high. Both have led to hospitals, particularly children’s hospitals, being overwhelmed.
The Strep A bacterial infection is also increasing among children and has killed at least two in Colorado. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an urgent notice warning message about the infection before Christmas, notifying doctors and public health authorities of the situation.
Paradoxically, masks and lockdowns were blamed for the rise in minors because it prevented them from developing the natural immunity they otherwise would have gotten.
Paterson Public Schools in Passaic County and the Camden City School District in New Jersey became the latest to enforce indoor masks for students.
The new Paterson Public Schools rule will start tomorrow (January 3) and will apply to its 25,000 students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
in a letter to parents, school district superintendent Eileen Shafer said: ‘I know this is a relief for some and a frustration for others. No matter where you stand, I ask for your cooperation.
It added: ‘Please continue to maintain universal masking in all of our buildings and we encourage you to take all other precautions against the spread of the Covid-19 influenza virus, RSV, including frequent hand washing, avoiding large gatherings and staying at home. when I’m sick. ‘
The Camden City School District, which has 75,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, will ask anyone who enters its buildings to cover up inside for at least two weeks, until January 17.
The school district superintendent said in a letter to families that the move was “in an effort to be proactive and remain vigilant.”
The Philadelphia school district in Pennsylvania is also force students to wear masks for at least 10 days, beginning January 3 and ending January 13 if not extended.
Meanwhile, the Boston Public Schools (BPS) in Massachusetts announced on friday that students and staff will be required to wear face coverings between January 4 and January 13.
The BPS said in a statement that the temporary mask was a “request and expectation” and “not a mandate,” saying no one would be sent home or disciplined if they refused to wear one.
And in Washington state, Wilson Elementary School mandated mask-wearing for a week in December due to a rise in respiratory illnesses, leaving about 30 percent of its students absent in one day.
During the second weekend of December, Washington state, Los Angeles, and New York City issued new recommendations urging residents to start wearing face coverings again in indoor public spaces.