Will SC students have to mask up this school year? What health officials say
Students won’t be required by South Carolina health officials to mask up in classrooms when they return to school this fall. Instead, the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control will leave the masking decision to school districts.
“We recognize they have a lot of factors to consider,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, director of public health for the state, during a media briefing on COVID-19 Wednesday morning.
Traxler still encourages residents to wear masks indoors in areas with high levels of COVID-19 transmission, but schools will be allowed to decide for themselves what to require of students.
COVID-19 levels in Richland County remain high, according to DHEC and CDC data.
Traxler also urged families to vaccinate all of their children before sending them back to school. Vaccines are now approved for anyone 6 months or older. Children between 6 months old and 17 years old are able to receive either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
Health care providers have seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases among children, The State reported last week.
Residents can use DHEC’s online vaccine locator tool to find the nearest location to receive a vaccine or booster shot.
Virus cases statewide are up nearly 30% from the previous four weeks, according to state data. But Traxler said she has not seen an increase in deaths or severe illness.
Hospitalizations are also on the rise, but Traxler said most who are being hospitalized are not requiring ICU care or ventilators. That’s a sign that while people are still getting sick from COVID-19, they’re not getting as sick as in earlier stages of the pandemic.
Traxler said there is evidence that as the virus mutates, it is becoming more contagious but causing less severe outcomes.
