Fully vaccinated students and faculty no longer need to wear masks at school, CDC says

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released new guidelines for K-12 schools that say fully vaccinated students and faculty no longer need to wear masks indoors. 

The CDC still recommends that unvaccinated individuals wear masks while inside school buildings and that schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms. In addition, it says that people who are not fully vaccinated should wear masks indoors to minimize COVID-19 risk among students and staff.

Schools should also be in contact with their local public health officials to be kept up to date on the local COVID-19 transmission rate in their communities. 

Students ages 12 and up are currently eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19.