Philadelphia School District's Mask Mandate Goes Back Into Effect On Monday As COVID-19 Cases Rise
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Beginning on Monday, thousands of students will begin masking-up again. The spike in COVID-19 cases is leading some school districts to bring back their mask mandates, including the Philadelphia School District.
"As an extra layer of safety to keep our students and our staff safe as well of their families when they go home from school or work. We want to make sure to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible," Philadelphia School District spokesperson Monica Lewis said.
Lewis said they made the difficult decision after consulting with the Department of Health, CHOP, and the CDC.
Lewis said they are seeing mixed reactions from parents and say it's something they understand.
"One of the things we've learned is that we are never going to make a decision that everyone buys into 100% percent," Lewis said. "We have those individuals who don't believe that masks are helpful and we have those who do."
The suburbs is also switching back to masks after the CDC bumped up Montgomery County into a high COVID community level.
On Friday, the Cheltenham School District reinstated their mask mandate. Lower Merion School District is strongly recommending them.
As the school year comes to a close, Lewis is asking everyone to be flexible as they navigate the ever changing virus.
"We want to make sure that our students can enjoy the last few days of school in person with their classmates with their teachers in the schools they know and love," she said.
The Philadelphia School District is constantly and closely monitoring the cases. Click here to learn more about the district's reinstated mask mandate and more.
