Jersey City Schools Stick To Return Plan, Mask Recommendation

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The Jersey City Public School District is standing by its reopening plan, which recommends but does not mandate masks in school.

According to the district, "The current Safe Return Plan calls for students and staff to wear a mask as one of the mitigation practices to lessen the spread of the COVID-19 virus. At this time our practices will require everyone to a mask as recommended. We also continue to promote to our families and staff to get vaccinated to stay safe."

The district is still taking its cue from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New Jersey Department of Education.

The Centers for Disease Control said this week said vaccinated Americans should return to wearing a mask indoors in public places, particularly in areas with "substantial and high transmission" of coronavirus. The CDC change comes as infection rates have risen significantly across the country, fueled by the delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.

On Wednesday Gov. Phil Murphy and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli urged all residents to return to mask-wearing indoors, in response to the increasing transmission.

"Our metrics are trending in the wrong direction, and new data suggests the delta variant is more transmissible even among vaccinated individuals, which is why we are making this strong recommendation," said Murphy and Persichilli in a joint statement.

>>>Want to win Six Flags Great Adventure Season Passes? Here's how.

With reporting by Alexis Tarrazi and Karen Wall