AACPS Requires Masks For All Regardless Of Vaccination Status

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Face coverings will be required this fall for all Anne Arundel County Public Schools students and staff. The mask mandate applies to everybody, even those who have gotten the coronavirus vaccine.

Superintendent George Arlotto announced the decision last Wednesday. The move follows updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC previously said immunized residents don't need face coverings indoors or outdoors. On July 27, the agency revised its advice to combat the highly contagious delta variant. Health officials now urge residents, whether inoculated or not, to mask up "in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission."

Anne Arundel County falls in the substantial category, CDC data indicated. Locals can track transmission at this link.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health aligned with the CDC last week and recommended face coverings for all students and staff. Arlotto released his policy the same day.

The face-covering rule has a few exceptions. Masks will not be required in these situations as long as participants are distanced when possible:

• Outdoor activities
• Indoor athletics
• Eating and drinking
• Choral and theatre classes when actively singing. Face coverings are required while rehearsing or performing lines.
• Music classes when actively playing a wind instrument. Musicians must mask up any other time.

Schools on Fort George G. Meade may have different exceptions because they are on federal property. National face-covering regulations would take precedence in this case.

Nearly all students will head to the classroom for five days of in-person instruction each week. Virtual Academy learners will continue online work. Unlike last school year, there are "absolutely no plans" for hybrid classes this fall.

"In a little more than a month, doors to schools at all levels across our county will swing open and we will realize the day we have waited for since March 2020," Arlotto said in an open letter. "We have longed for the day when students and teachers can work in reading or science groups, when they can play instruments in band class, when they can sing together in choruses and act in plays, when they can eat together in cafeterias, and when they can do all the other things that make school days so exhilarating."

The superintendent also encouraged anybody eligible to get the vaccine as soon as possible.

The Pfizer-BioNTech inoculation is cleared for emergency use in residents 12 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots are still only available to locals 18 and up.

Residents can get more information on clinics by visiting aacps.org/vaccines, heading to aahealth.org or calling Anne Arundel County's COVID-19 Health Line at 410-222-7256.

"The possibilities for the coming school year are endless," Arlotto added. "The enthusiasm is growing. Together, we will make this year awesome."

To read the superintendent's full letter, click here.

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RELATED:

• Back To School: AACPS 2021-22 School Calendar
• Masks In AACPS: Health Officials Suggest Face Coverings For All
• Masks Required In Anne Arundel County-Owned Buildings, Unvaccinated Employees To Undergo Weekly Testing
• AACPS Undecided On Masks For Fall Classes: Reports
• Fully In-Person Classes Could Come This Fall: AACPS

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