The governors of New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware on Monday said they would lift school mask mandates in the coming weeks, aiming for a return to"normalcy" as a surge in COVID-19 infections fuelled by the Omicron variant abates in their states.
Republican leaders in some states, including Florida and Texas, have banned mask mandates in schools, while Democrats have generally encouraged the policy to help stall new infections. Murphy said later in a press conference that individual school districts and private childcare providers would still be allowed to maintain and enforce mask mandates.
"We're in a much better place than we were several weeks ago," Carney wrote on Twitter, but added:"The virus still poses a risk of serious illness, particularly among those who are not up to date on their vaccinations.
It"marks a needed shift from government-imposed requirement to individual decision. It helps to preserve public health authority for when it's needed again", she wrote on Twitter.