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District officials announced on Friday, Aug. 12 that they are updating the mask requirements in all schools and facilities “until further notice,” beginning as of Monday, Aug. 15 following a recommendation from the Prince George’s County Health Department.
Students in Prince George's County are scheduled to return to class beginning on Monday, Aug. 29.
“When responding to public health threats such as COVID-19, Maryland school districts have flexibility in determining mask-wearing policies,” officials said. “In July, PGCPS transitioned from mandatory mask-wearing to a mask-optional policy for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.”
Officials noted that the mask policy is subject to change, barring alterations to local or state guidance and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The move comes after the CDC updated its COVID-19 guidance to help protect the public from the spread of the virus, specifically the BA.5 strain.
According to the Maryland Department of Health, there are currently 628 people hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, with more than 11 percent testing positive for the virus in the past 24 hours.
There have been a total of 1.2 million COVID-19 cases confirmed in Maryland since the beginning of the pandemic, resulting in a total of 14,790 virus-related deaths.
A breakdown of cases, by county in Maryland, since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, as of Aug. 12:
- Montgomery: 214,005;
- Prince George’s: 199,925;
- Baltimore: 152,699;
- Baltimore City: 131,746;
- Anne Arundel: 106,149;
- Howard: 55,426;
- Frederick: 52,304;
- Harford: 44,069;
- Washington: 37,924;
- Charles: 33,638;
- Carroll: 24,82;
- Wicomico: 22,217;
- St. Mary’s: 21,755;
- Allegany: 18,973;
- Cecil: 17,852;
- Calvert: 13,002;
- Worcester: 9,817;
- Dorchester: 8,583;
- Queen Anne’s: 7,958;
- Caroline: 6,635;
- Talbot: 6,357;
- Garrett: 6,294;
- Somerset: 5,650;
- Kent: 3,538.
Complete COVID-19 data from the Maryland Department of Health can be found here.
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