Masks In MD Schools: Hogan Urges State Board Of Education To Lift Face Covering Mandate

MARYLAND — Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday urged the Maryland State Board of Education to lift its school mask mandate.

“A growing number of medical professionals, parents, and bipartisan state officials throughout the nation are calling for an end to school mask requirements,” Hogan wrote in a letter to the state school board. “In light of dramatic improvements to our health metrics and the widespread availability of vaccines, I am calling on you to take action to rescind this policy.”

Hogan revoked Maryland's indoor face covering order last May. Maryland has since battled the highly contagious delta and omicron variants of coronavirus.

The governor declared a state of emergency during the omicron spike, but he never issued a new statewide mask mandate. Some counties reimplemented their own face covering orders to battle the winter wave.

Infections have slowed significantly. A few jurisdictions rescinded their mandates, and the 30-day state of emergency ended on Feb. 3. Masks are still required in schools, however.

"We have seen the harmful effects of prolonged school closures on the education, health, and emotional well-being of Maryland students," Hogan said. "The consequences include failing grades, regressed social development, and increased mental health challenges. If these trends are not reversed quickly, we face the unthinkable prospect of a generation left behind, both academically and socially."

Schools were closed for most of 2020. Many reopened for optional hybrid classes in early 2021. They resumed a full schedule of in-person instruction at the start of the 2021 to 2022 school year.

The governor applauded the state school board for its push to keep schools open during the most recent surges, but he asked them to take it a step further.

"Now, it is critical to move toward normalcy for students and families by rescinding the school masking policy that was adopted by the State Board of Education in Dec. 2021," Hogan said, noting that Maryland has the best case rate in the country. "We must all learn to live with this virus, not in fear of it."

Improving Metrics

Maryland's case rate has fallen to 18.2 new infections per day per 100,000 residents. That's down from the all-time maximum of 221.17 set on Jan. 8. The case rate is still above its recent minimum of 11.16 reported on Nov. 5, 2021 and its overall low of 0.9 recorded on June 25, 2021.

The state's positivity rate has dropped to 5.12 percent, which is better than the high of 29.98 percent on Jan. 5. The percent positivity was as low as 2.91 percent on Nov. 4, 2021. The all-time minimum of 0.54 percent was set on June 28, 2021.

Maryland now has 986 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That's an improvement from the peak of 3,462 patients on Jan. 11. Hospitalizations are still up from the recent low of 490 registered on Nov. 14, 2021 and the record minimum of 97 posted on July 1, 2021.

The state has reported 13,605 COVID-19 deaths.

Marylanders can get tested by visiting COVIDtest.maryland.gov.

Vaccine Update

A total of 4,426,122 Marylanders are fully vaccinated. The state's population is 6,177,224. About 97.99 percent of seniors, 95 percent of adults and 89.5 percent of residents 5 or older have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Maryland has also made some headway on the newest group eligible for the shot. About 43.25 percent of kids aged 5 to 11 have gotten their first injection since they were cleared for immunization in late October 2021.

The state has given 2,089,032 booster shots.

Maryland's infection and vaccine metrics are updated daily at coronavirus.maryland.gov.

Who's Eligible For First Doses

The Pfizer immunization is the only one with full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That clearance is good for residents 16 and up. Pfizer also has emergency use authorization for anybody aged 5 to 15 for their first two doses

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson inoculations have emergency use authorization for locals 18 and up.

Emergency use authorization requires less FDA review than full approval, which is the golden stamp of support from regulators.

Who's Eligible For Boosters

Residents 18 and up who got the Pfizer inoculation can get a booster shot of any kind five months after their initial two doses. Locals 12 to 17 who got the Pfizer must also wait five months, but they are only eligible for the Pfizer booster.

Locals 18 and up must wait six months after their Moderna injections or two months after their Johnson & Johnson vaccines to get a booster shot. Once that time passes, they can get any booster they want.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended getting the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster, not the Johnson & Johnson. Experts still urged locals to get Johnson & Johnson's extra dose if Pfizer and Moderna are not available.

Maryland's booster shot guidance is posted here. The graphic below clarifies who is eligible for a booster.

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