Mandatory masking in indoor public spaces will be required for all students, teachers and staff at least until the end of summer school. “As a district, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we intend to implement strategies to keep our community safe and reduce absenteeism due to illness — all in the service of our students, staff and community,” the district said . in a letter sent to staff, parents and students on Friday. “If your student is participating in summer school or other summer enrichment program, send them to school or their program with a mask. If not, masks will be provided. Students and staff should wear their masks indoors only premises,” the letter said. A mask hangs inside the school in the locker in this undated stock photo. STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images The district added in the letter that it will continue to monitor data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the county over the next two weeks and update the community if there are any changes. “We’re getting used to the new normal and making people responsible for protecting themselves,” Dr. Francesca Torriani, program director of infection prevention and clinical epidemiology and tuberculosis control at UC San Diego Health, told ABC News. “So we tend to mitigate when cases increase and then return to normal life when the waves recede.” SDUSD dropped its mask mandate in April after a decline in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. But in May, the district said the order would be reinstated if the county was designated by the CDC as having high levels of COVID transmission, as determined by the number of cases and hospital admissions. “The staff was watching what was happening in the community with COVID, and as a result of that, they found that we had reached that magic point where the board had said it was time to go back and cover again,” Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, president of the Educational SDUSD Board, told ABC News. Over the past seven days, San Diego recorded 383.01 new cases per 100,000, a nearly 5 percent jump from the previous week, according to CDC data. In addition, the county has seen a hospitalization rate of 11.8 per 100,000 in the past seven days, which is a 31% increase compared to the previous seven days. Whitehurst-Payne said the indoor mask mandate will continue into the fall semester if the county is still in the CDC’s “high” tier, but will be waived if the county enters a lower tier. He added that he understands the frustration of some parents, but it is a matter of safety. “Our number one priority is keeping our students safe,” he said. “When we realize we can do something to keep students safe, we want the greatest safety for your child.” San Diego schools aren’t the only places returning masks. Naval Base Coronado and Naval Base San Diego announced on social media that the mask orders would go into effect Monday. “Effective TODAY, indoor mask use is required at all facilities and training areas at Naval Base Coronado until further notice,” the base wrote in a Facebook post. “Please do your part to reduce the spread by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, increased hygiene practices and vaccinations.”
