MISSOULA — With the new school year approaching, districts are setting mask policies to reduce the spread of the coronavirus as cases are surging in Montana.
On Tuesday, the Missoula County school board voted 6-3 to require students, staff and visitors to wear face coverings for at least the first six weeks of classes, based on the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Masks will be required on buses, but can be removed while outside or while eating or drinking.
In Helena, the school board voted 7-1 on Tuesday to give the superintendent the discretion to require masks at elementary and middle schools on a week-to-week basis, based on the rate of spread of the coronavirus in the community.
Superintendent Rex Weltz can require masks if the levels of COVID-19 transmission in Lewis and Clark County is considered “substantial” or “high”, the Independent Record reported. On Tuesday, the county was listed as having substantial community transmission.
Masks will not be required at Helena’s high schools because those students are eligible for vaccines.
Some districts, including Billings, have made masks optional.
Montana reported 376 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, a day after reporting 493 — the highest single day number since January.