White House sticks by school mask mandates
The White House stood by the guidance on mask mandates in schools from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) despite some states aiming to remove face covering requirements in classrooms.
“We recommend masking in schools. That is the recommendation from the CDC. It is also true that at some point when the science and the data warrants, of course, our hope is that is no longer the recommendation,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday.
Democratic governors moving: Both New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) have announced they will end mask mandates for students in March. Psaki did not answer when asked if the White House stands by the governors’ decisions to lift mandates.
“Our advice to every school district is to abide by public health guidelines. It continues to be at this point that the CDC is advising that masks can delay, reduce transmission,” Psaki said. “It’s always been up to local school districts to determine how they implement.”
“It’s always been up to school districts. That’s always been our point of view and always been our policy from here,” she added.
She said that the White House has constant internal discussions when asked if there will be a road map for states to eventually transition out of mask mandates. She said the White House is constantly communicating with the CDC on its guidance.
