SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 13, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Gov. Spencer Cox ordered the end of the mask mandate for the last week of school, an announcement which came during his weekly COVID-19 briefing Thursday.
This will apply to K-12 students, Cox said.
The mandate will only be lifted for the last week of school in each district, not before, and Cox said schools will have the option to keep the mask requirement in place. He also urged teachers, parents and students to be respectful of others’ choices.
“We believe that this is the right thing to do, the prudent thing to do,” said Cox.
Districts including Morgan, Iron County, Kane and San Juan counties have already dropped their mask mandates, even though state health officials say the K-12 requirement remains in place.
Cox said the reason for lifting the mandate for the last week of school is so kids get a chance to have time with teachers and friends without masks, so they can see each other’s faces.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information is made available.
