Washtenaw County mandate means masks for Manchester Community Schools
Emotions are high in Manchester over the prospect of returning to masks in the schools. Top: After a rock was painted to display "Unmask our kids" it was quickly altered to display "Get a Vax, Mask our kids" instead. Shortly after, it was repainted again with a non-mask related image. Bottom: Protest against masks in front of the High School Wednesday morning.
Manchester Community Schools started school last Monday with masks optional for everyone and no positive cases of COVID or quarantines on their COVID-19 dashboard. By Thursday, the Washtenaw County Health Department had announced a county-wide masking mandate for K-12 schools and the district had six positive cases and 13 students quarantining.
The Washtenaw County Health Department actually issued two orders for Washtenaw County schools — one requiring face masks indoors and one requiring isolation or quarantine. The Health Department stated that Washtenaw is now at “high” transmission levels according to the CDC, and masks will be required to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 while transmission remains “high” or “substantial.” With these orders, Washtenaw joins at least 15 other Michigan counties with school mask mandates.
While Manchester did not have a mask requirement, all of the other public school districts in the county had at least some mask requirements in place prior to the order.
“We are grateful to our local schools and districts that have already done the work to require masks and that continue to work closely with us on isolation and quarantine measures,” says Jimena Loveluck, MSW, health officer with Washtenaw County Health Department. “Unfortunately, we are trending in the wrong direction, and it’s imperative that we use all of our tools to prevent and control COVID in educational settings and provide in-person learning as safely as possible.”
Both orders are in effect this Tuesday, September 7, as students return to school from an extended Labor Day weekend.
The mask order will remain in effect until community transmission for the county is “moderate” or lower for at least 14 consecutive days, or until further notice from the health officer. The order requires that everyone in educational institutions and settings consistently and properly wear a face mask while inside any enclosed building or structure and applies to affiliated extracurricular activities and athletics.
The mask order has exceptions, including when actively eating or drinking, when alone in a room, anyone under the age of four years (however, supervised masking is recommended for children who are at least two years of age), anyone with developmental conditions attending school when the use of a face mask would inhibit the person’s access to education, vaccinated staff working with children who are hard of hearing or students with developmental conditions who benefit from facial cues, and anyone who has a medical reason confirmed in writing from a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathic medicine currently licensed to practice medicine in the State of Michigan.
The isolation and quarantine order requires individuals in Washtenaw County educational institutions and settings to isolate or quarantine as directed for illness or exposure to COVID-19.
The County has also established civil monetary penalties for individuals and the school district for violations of local health orders including a $1,000 per day penalty for imminent danger to health or lives and a $500 per day penalty for violating emergency orders to protect the public health to aid in enforcing the orders.
Friday morning, superintendent Dr. Brad Bezeau sent a letter to student families sharing the orders and stating “We will welcome all of our students to school on Tuesday, September 7th and have masks and facial coverings available for any students that forgot to bring one for the day as we re-establish our routines from last year regarding the required wearing of facial coverings indoors.”
Manchester Community School students and staff wore masks indoors for all of the 2020-2021 school year.
The health department had begun indicating that a county-wide mask mandate was in the works early last week which prompted an anti-mask protest in front of the High School Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Additionally, the schools and the county who had been receiving messages of concern from pro-masking-in-schools Manchester families and wider community members the week before, began receiving messages of concern from anti-masking-in-schools Manchester families and community members in anticipation of the County’s orders.
Dr. Bezeau, acknowledging the strong feelings regarding the issue on both sides, closed the letter with, ”Finally, please know that no one throughout the district and community wants to continue through these processes, and we all continue to hope for the end of this pandemic, but we must work together to make sure that everyone is safe and that our students and staff can continue their work. We will be in full compliance of these orders and processes, as we don't want anyone to become sick, and we don't want to have to navigate the civil and district monetary fines and penalties that can occur due to not following these orders.”
The Health Department stated, “Studies of COVID-19 incidence in school districts during the 2020-21 school year show masking is a critical mitigation strategy to prevent secondary transmission in schools. Masking is part of a multi-layered approach to prevent and reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Other preventative measures include COVID vaccination, social distancing, hand cleaning, staying home when sick and isolation and quarantine.”
Currently, no students under the age of 12 are vaccinated as a vaccine is not available yet for that age group. As of Aug 31, 60% of 12 to 15-year-olds and 40% of 16 to 19-year-olds in Washtenaw County are fully vaccinated. Students over the age of 12, as well as anyone in the Manchester area not vaccinated against COVID-19 can get a vaccine here in Manchester this Wednesday, September 8, from 3 to 4:30 pm at Emanuel Church,located at 324 West Main Street. Look for the Health Department RV. No appointment is needed. Both Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available.
While Washtenaw County, like most of Michigan, is in “High” transmission level, and the Manchester area new positive case numbers have been recently increasing week-over-week, things may be slowing down. Overall COVID-19 case numbers are remaining relatively stable in Michigan and it is possible the most recent surge is slowing.
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