As the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant continues, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has adjusted their mask recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
The update specifically recommends children under 12 wear masks indoors, and that includes teachers and staff.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not taking the recommendation well. He spoke Monday during a roundtable discussion and was adamant a policy like this isn’t necessary.
“Our view is this should absolutely not be imposed it should not be mandated. If you started to see a push from the feds or even some of these local school districts; I know they’re interested in even in a special session be able to provide protections from parents and kids who just want to breathe freely,” said DeSantis.
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NBC 6 dug into state records to see how kids are doing in Florida with the rising COVID-19 cases.
Over the last month, more than 9% of new cases have been in children under 12, compared to last year when they made up no more than 6% of new monthly cases.
Children under 12 are showing the biggest increase in cases among all age groups, up nearly 80% over the previous week
The president of the United Teachers of Dade Karla Hernandez Mats weighed in, releasing a statement on behalf of the group that these newly issued mask guidelines are in the best interest of students and educators.
“M-DCPS should follow the recommendations from these medical experts to ensure a safe and successful reopening for our community," Mats said.
Miami-Dade School’s superintendent Alberto Carvalho said around two months ago they announced masks would be optional, now it’s back to the drawing board.
“In light of the recent release of updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we believe it is prudent to take this conversation back to our task force of medical and public health experts," Carvalho said. "This is an important decision that cannot be rushed and must continue to be evaluated based on the scientific information available.”
Carvalho said MDCPS does have a later start date than other districts in South Florida and they will use this time to make the right call.
