Gwinnett County Public Schools has dropped its face mask mandate in light of new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
District officials announced the move late Friday afternoon. Under the change, masks will be “strongly recommended” in GCPS facilities, but not required. District spokeswoman Sloan Roach said that means Gwinnett County students will not have not to wear masks when they attend school on Monday.
“They’re strongly recommended still, but they’re not required,” Roach said. “So, we’re transitioning from them being required to strongly recommending their use, but no, they do not have to wear masks ... it’s effective immediately.”
Gwinnett is now classified as having a “low” level of community spread based on new information from the CDC. As a result, district officials said, people are encouraged to get tested for COVID-19 if they start to exhibit symptoms, and keep up to date on vaccines, but wearing masks is optional.
As a result, GCPS is now only strongly recommending masks in its facilities instead of requiring them.
“In the coming days, school district leaders will be reviewing and updating quarantine and isolation procedures to account for these changes,” district officials said in an announcement that was sent out to families and posted on the district’s social media channels.
Roach said a reminder will be sent to families on Sunday to make sure they know masks will now only be recommended but not required.
Gwinnett County had a two-week new case rate of 157 cases per 100,000 residents as of Friday, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The county’s 7-day moving average is now down to 78.7 cases per day as well.
Among the 11 counties in the Atlanta Regional Commission, only Cherokee, Douglas, Clayton and Rockdale counties had lower two-week case rates than Gwinnett had. Only two counties in the ARC footprint, Fayette and Forsyth counties, had two-week rates on Friday that exceeded 200 cases per 100,000 residents.
Forsyth County has the highest two-week rate in the ARC footprint with 356 cases per 100,000 residents.
Statewide, Georgia’s two-week rate as of Friday was 185 cases per 100,000 residents and the state’s 7-day moving case average was 1,265.9 cases per day.
Georgia DPH also reported on Friday that 63% of Gwinnettians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 58% of the county’s residents are now considered fully vaccinated.
By comparison, 63% of Georgians have received at least one dose of a vaccine, but only 55% of the state’s residents are fully vaccinated, according to state health officials.
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I'm a Crawford Long baby who grew up in Marietta and eventually wandered to the University of Southern Mississippi for college. Earned a BA in journalism (double minor in political science and history). Previously worked in Florida and Clayton County.
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On Sunday, it was time for our clocks to "spring forward," lessening the night's sleep by one hour. While it may not seem too significant, Daylight Saving Time can definitely throw everyone for a loop. How do you handle it?
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