“As I said in my most recent letter, let us continue to pray for one another and for the end of this pandemic,” said Conway.
Previously, the diocese was set to mandate masks at school “only because of the very high positivity rate that is happening within the counties of our diocese.” Some of the counties in the diocese’s territory are reporting positivity rates as high as 28%.
Conway said that the diocese has been “working around the clock” for a safe opening to school, and one that also complies with Florida law.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has been opposed to mask mandates for children over the past several months. He was among the first governors to relax COVID-19 restrictions.
“The federal government has no right to tell parents that in order for their kids to attend school in person, they must be forced to wear a mask all day, every day,” DeSantis said in a statement after signing the executive order. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control now recommends universal indoor masking at K-12 schools, regardless of the vaccination status of teachers, staff, students, and visitors.
“Many Florida schoolchildren have suffered under forced masking policies, and it is prudent to protect the ability of parents to make decisions regarding the wearing of masks by their children,” DeSantis said.
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