Albuquerque Public Schools: APS Lifts Mask Mandate

Press release from Albuquerque Public Schools:

February 17, 2022

Albuquerque Public Schools is lifting its mask mandate, effective immediately, following Thursday’s announcement by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the state Public Education Department.

Students and staff may choose to continue wearing masks, but they will no longer be required.

Gov. Lujan Grisham cited a recent decrease in New Mexico’s COVID-19 cases when announcing the end of the indoor mask mandate Thursday.

New Mexico Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus said in a memo to school district leaders that the number of hospitalized New Mexicans has decreased dramatically in the past few weeks. He also pointed to increased availability of treatments for high-risk New Mexicans with COVID-19.

APS has also seen a dramatic decrease in the number of COVID cases among students and staff, with the number last week less than a fifth of the number at the district’s peak in January.

The education secretary did say that New Mexicans should still be careful and get tested as needed. APS will continue monitoring and reporting cases to the state Department of Health.

This press release was produced by Albuquerque Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.