City of Fairfax issued the following announcement on Aug. 12
On August 12, Governor Northam announced a Public Health Emergency Order requiring universal masking in all indoor settings in Virginia’s K-12 schools.
This order reinforces current state law, which requires Virginia schools adhere to mitigation strategies outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of July 28, CDC guidelines include universal masking for all students, teachers, and staff. SB 1303 was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority of the General Assembly earlier this year.
In Virginia, 73% of all adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. As of August 10, 40.3% of 12-15 year-olds in Virginia and 51.7% of 16-17 year olds in Virginia are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Children younger than age 12 are not yet eligible to receive any available vaccination, which is one reason CDC updated its guidance to recommend universal masking in all K-12 schools. Masks are a proven tool to reduce in-school transmission, even in communities with high levels of spread.
In addition to this Public Health Order, Governor Northam has dedicated significant resources to improve the safety of K-12 schools. On August 10, Governor Northam signed House Bill 7001 to provide $500 million to improve ventilation and air quality in public schools. Ventilation systems clean and disperse air, decreasing the risk of various airborne illnesses including COVID-19.
In 2020, Governor Northam directed $492 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to public schools and PreK-12 state-level education initiatives. This year, Virginia received approximately $939 million in ESSER II funds under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021. Additionally, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds directly allocate $1.9 billion to school divisions, with an additional state set aside of $211 million.
The Public Health Emergency Order is available here.
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Original source can be found here.
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