Key Takeaways
- Updated NCDHHS Toolkit guidance no longer requires schools to mask unvaccinated students.
- Our youngest students are still months away from being vaccinated and they are uniquely vulnerable to this more virulent strain of COVID.
- This guidance directly contradicts the CDC, the ABC Science Collaborative, and the American Academy of Pediatrics which all stress the necessity of masking unvaccinated students while in school.
"Today’s decision by the Governor and NC DHHS flies in the face of recommendations by the CDC, the ABC Science Collaborative, and the American Academy of Pediatrics which all stress the necessity of masking unvaccinated students while in school," said Tamika Walker Kelly, President of NCAE. "In the face of dramatically rising COVID infections among unvaccinated North Carolinians in the past several weeks due to the Delta variant, and schools preparing to open for the new school year, this seems a very poorly timed decision. Our youngest students are still months away from being vaccinated and they are uniquely vulnerable to this more virulent strain of COVID. We continue to encourage all unvaccinated individuals to get their shot and wear masks whenever possible to protect themselves and others from this ongoing and still highly contagious pandemic."
