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Light Drizzle Baldwin schools keep mask mandate
CDC is recommending masks in school this fall
The Baldwin School District stuck to previous guidance calling for a mask requirement for summer classes, even after Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently lifted it.
“Students and staff in the Baldwin Union Free School District have continued to wear their masks during the summer months to help keep the infection rate low,” said Dr. Shari Camhi, superintendent of schools. “The new [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance reinforces our decision.”
With the Delta variant of the coronavirus rapidly spreading, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics last week updated their mask guidance to include mask mandates, even for those who have been fully vaccinated.
The CDC changed course on its May mask guidance, issuing a statement July 27 recommending that masks be worn indoors, even for fully vaccinated people in areas experiencing spikes in Covid-19 cases, including in schools this fall.
“In areas with substantial and high transmission, CDC recommends fully vaccinated people wear masks in public, indoor settings to help prevent the spread of the Delta variants and protect others,” agency Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a news briefing.
Many summer schools and camps had relaxed their mask guidelines, making them optional for students, counselors and teachers to wear. Summer school Covid-19 outbreaks were reported across the state, including at a sleep-away camp in Copake in upstate New York, where 31 campers ages 7 to 11 tested positive.
On July 31, Park Shore Country Day Camp in Dix Hills confirmed that five counselors and one camper had tested positive, and at Camp Anchor in Lido Beach, a counselor and a camper tested positive.
This has not been the case in the Baldwin School District, however.
Angela Lucas, who runs the Hangout One Happy Place, a Baldwin nonprofit that provides recreational activities for young adults with special needs, took to social media to respond to the new mask guidance, saying, “I feel it’s better to be safe and wear the mask.”
Likewise, Mark Prevatt, whose children attend Baldwin schools, said, “Even though our entire household is vaccinated, we accept the science and CDC recommendations for continuing mask wearing in schools and other high-occupancy locations.”
Bernadette LaMont Dawson also agreed with the new guidance, saying, “I can’t speak for anyone else, but my child will be wearing his mask.”
Currently, those 12 and older are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the U.S.; however, there has been a recent national drop in vaccination rates among children 12 and up.
According to the CDC, Nassau is categorized as an area with a high transmission rate. In the week ending July 31, the county experienced a 54 percent increase in Covid-19 cases, with 71 new hospital admissions, increasing the total positivity rate to 3.37 percent.
On July 28, Cuomo said in a briefing that the state would not mandate the new CDC mask guidance, and instead state officials would leave the policy up to the local governments and school districts.
“But the CDC guidance should be carefully reviewed. Local governments in those areas should seriously consider the CDC guidance,” Cuomo said, speaking to a virtual meeting of the Association for a Better New York.
Cuomo also identified 117 communities across the state with numbers of positive cases per capita that are above the statewide average, and percentages of fully vaccinated residents that are below the statewide average, including Baldwin.
He announced the award of $15 million to six community-based organizations to fund outreach and education initiatives in these areas, including the Hispanic Federation, $5.5 million; the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, $5.5 million; and the New York Immigration Coalition, Asian American Federation, Charles B. Wang Community Center and APICHA Community Health Center, $1 million each.
