PROVIDENCE – Gov. Daniel J. McKee said at his press briefing on Tuesday that he anticipates that all of the state’s school districts will require face masks be worn by students in the upcoming school year.
“My anticipation is that all districts will be masking up,” said McKee using a serious tone to convey concerns about an increase in infection rates due to the delta variant. But McKee noted that it will ultimately be up to the districts to decide whether masks should be worn in schools.
However, despite the lack of a state mandate, McKee still said the state will work with the districts that have not mandated mask wearing so that such a policy would be in place prior to the opening of schools. “We are going to make sure there is masking in every school in the state,” he said, noting that 80% of schools have already committed to requiring mask wearing.
Yet not all school districts are on board for a required masking policy. Johnston, for instance, has decided that mask wearing by students should be optional.
McKee said that 100,000 of the state’s students go to school districts where masks are mandated, including in Cranston, where officials voted unanimously Monday night to require mask wearing in schools. “That’s where we are currently,” he said. “We’re working through the legal sides of the issues in terms of how we can inject ourselves – to protect the state of Rhode Island.”
McKee is walking a fine line as he juggles requests for mask mandates with the needs of the state’s businesses, which have seen economic challenges and feel restrictions will hurt their business.
“The mask issue is a political issue more so than anything else,” said McKee. “This is what I would say to the people concerned about masking: What’s the worst that could happen? And what’s the worst that could happen if the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the R.I. Department of Health’s guidance is correct? Just think about that.”
Meanwhile, both Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and General Treasurer Seth Magaziner have been calling for a statewide mask mandate in schools. Both are expected to run campaigns against McKee for the governor’s seat in the upcoming election.
Gorbea and Magaziner join Rhode Island’s chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is recommending mask wearing in schools, and indoors, as well, while the state continues to have a “high transmission” rate as determined by the CDC.
In neighboring Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday he has no plans yet to implement a statewide mask mandate, but does plan to keep in place the current requirement that face coverings be worn inside schools.
As for how a mask requirement would be enforced, McKee said that it would be up to the schools to enforce mask wearing.
“The school districts will be handling their local enforcement, and we will be supporting them in that enforcement,” he said. “I would hope that everybody would comply with the local masking.”
McKee said that his administration has been steadfast in its commitment to testing and vaccinating Rhode Islanders to make the state safer. He said the focus now should be on getting students vaccinated.
“We’re going to stay the course. We’re going to be patient. We’re going to make sure our schools open up safely,” McKee said. “We’re looking forward to getting to a point where we can focus on the vaccinations of our students that are eligible to be vaccinated, and we will be working to do that. Just like we’re working to get 90% of our adult population vaccinated, we will be working to get 90% of our student population vaccinated.”
McKee said an update on the handling of COVID-19 related issues will be discussed at a resumption of the state’s health briefings on Thursday.
Cassius Shuman is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Shuman@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @CassiusShuman.
