8/19/21 - Kalamazoo, Allegan county health departments mandate masks for K-6 students

The Kalamazoo and Allegan county health departments are mandating masks inside schools for children up to sixth grade.

(MLive) - The Kalamazoo and Allegan County health departments announced the new mandate Wednesday, Aug. 18, that requires face masks for students in kindergarten through sixth grade while indoors at school, according to a joint press release from the health departments.

The mask mandate also includes everyone, regardless of vaccination status, who provides services to those students in K-6. Adults who provide services to students identified as medically fragile, regardless of age, are also required to wear a mask.

The mandate is effective immediately and remains in effect until six weeks past the date the COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and available to people age five years through 11 years old, the release said.

Currently, vaccines are available for children age 12 and higher.

In Kalamazoo County, Kalamazoo Public Schools is already mandating masks while others including Portage Public Schools were recommending them but not mandating masks. In Allegan County, districts including Allegan, Fennville, Otsego and Plainwell schools were not mandating masks prior to the change from the health department.

Cases, hospitalizations and positive tests are all on the rise as the more infectious delta variant makes its way through Michigan. The state is averaging 1,353 new cases and 10 new deaths per day over the last week.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data shows that the greatest uptick in new coronavirus cases was reported in children ages 9 and younger.