The county board of education in Orange County, California voted on Monday to approve school reopening recommendations that do not require masks for students or social distancing in schools.
In a 4-1 vote, the board approved recommendations that include frequent hand washing, daily temperature checks, and nightly disinfection of facilities and vehicles, but did not include mandatory masks for students, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“K-12 children represent the lowest risk cohort for Covid-19. Due to that fact, the social distancing of the children and the reduced classrooms of the census are not necessary and, therefore, they are not recommended, ”the board’s recommendations read. “Requiring children to wear masks during school is not only difficult –if not impossible to implement – but not based on science. It can even be harmful and is therefore not recommended. “
Although children have a lower risk of hospitalization for the virus, people of any age with underlying conditions have a higher risk of contracting the virus. About 6 million children in the US have asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The board gave individual districts wide discretion in their reopening plans.
“While it is important to reopen our schools, some parents and some employees may reasonably question their own fitness for a fall return,” the recommendations indicate. “We understand that multigenerational families, for example, or families in which children or adults live with diseases that make them more vulnerable could feel safe at home. It is important that school districts accommodate these options to the best of their ability. ”
The Los Angeles and San Diego school districts have announced they will not reopen in the fall. Although Orange County moved to the left in the 2016 and 2018 elections, for decades it was known as one of the most conservative parts of the state and has been an opposition epicenter to mask California mandates, according to the newspaper.
Nichole Quick, the county’s chief of health, resigned in June, citing death threats after she issued an order requiring masks in public, The Orange County Register reported.
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