Masks Will Be Required In Birmingham City Schools

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Amid rapidly growing numbers in positive COVID-19 tests in Alabama, Birmingham City Schools announced Tuesday the system will begin the 2021-22 school year requiring masks be worn by all students and staff inside school facilities.

Superintendent Mark Sullivan said initially when the system released its reopening plan that only unvaccinated students and staff would be required to wear masks, but a recent recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control prompted Sullivan to amend the reopening plan.

"Currently, the CDC guidelines recommend that masks be worn indoors in all school facilities for grades K-12," Sullivan said Tuesday. "We will have in-person teaching and learning, and we will offer the full range of extracurricular activities for our scholars. This may change, depending on the spread of the virus and recommendations from public health officials."

Related: Birmingham City Schools Reopening Plan Released

The remainder of the system's reopening plan will remain the same as initially released.

Alabama's 7-day average for new COVID-19 cases, as of Tuesday, stood at 1,593. At the beginning of July, the state's 7-day average was at 195 cases.

Last week, Gov. Kay Ivey blamed the rise in new COVID-19 cases in Alabama on people who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"The few cases of COVID are because of unvaccinated folks," Ivey said in her statement Thursday. "Almost 100 percent of the new hospitalizations are unvaccinated folks. And the deaths certainly are occurring with unvaccinated folks. These folks are choosing a horrible lifestyle of self-inflicted pain. We've got to get folks to take the shot."