The Democratic governors of New Jersey and Delaware have both set timelines for the end of their states’ school mask mandates in a sign of the receding wave of Covid-19 and the country’s move toward a “new normal.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday the state’s mask mandate in schools and child care settings will end on March 7. Citing the decline in Covid cases, increased vaccination and the lower severity of the Omicron variant, he called the move “a huge step back to normalcy for our kids.”
“Masking continues to be an important tool to prevent the spread of Covid,” Murphy said. Individual school district leaders will have the ability to maintain or enforce a mask policy “should community conditions require,” he added.
Similarly, Delaware Gov. John Carney announced that the state’s universal indoor mask mandate will end on February 11 and that school mask mandates will expire March 31.
