Children Should Wear Masks In School, State Health Officials Warn

NORTH CAROLINA — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is urging grade schools to requite students and staff to wear masks indoors as more schools are faced with an uptick in COVID cases statewide.

"Research and lived experience in this pandemic have shown it is essential we do everything we can to safely keep our students in the classroom," said NCDHHS Chief Deputy Secretary Susan Gale Perry. "In-person learning is more than academics, it’s also children interacting with their peers, getting healthy meals and accessing critical support services."

The CDC recently published an updated review of scientific data that shows mask wearing reduces the transmission of COVID-19, according to NCDHHS. Their data showed masking in 70 studied K-12 schools resulted in fewer cases.

In an effort to keep kids in the classroom, the NCDHHS has additional guidance on exposure for students including another benefit from masking.

"Excluding a student or staff member from school following a COVID-19 exposure should be a last resort," NCDHHS said in a statement.

A K-12 student or staff member who has been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19 — and has not themselves developed symptoms or tested positive — can still attend school if:

• The person exposed has had their COVID-19 vaccinations. For adults, this includes boosters.
• The person exposed has had a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the last 90 days.
• The person exposed and the person with a confirmed case of COVID-19 were both properly wearing masks when the exposure occurred.