Masking Rollbacks May Create More Disruptions For Our Kids, Experts Say

With Omicron now receding, Covid-19 policies are changing rapidly. Case levels are low in many places, and vaccines are proving effective at preventing severe outcomes, but with mask mandates and other mitigation measures ending, it can be hard for parents and families to understand how the new policies will affect them — and what might play out in their kids’ schools.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unveiled new guidance for Covid-19 risk assessment that’s based on county case rates and hospitalization. Instead of community-wide mandates, the new guidance focuses on people managing their own risk. Notably, the CDC also no longer recommends universal masking in schools, except during what they define as “high” levels of Covid-19.

The effects of removing masks won’t be fully understood for several weeks as the new policies go into effect. But as a new model shows, increased school disruptions are a very real possibility, even at levels the CDC considers “low.”

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