Thursday, March 28

Grand Rapids Public Schools lifting mask requirement


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids Public Schools will scrap its mask mandate for all schools and district buildings starting next week.

A Wednesday release said the district will be following suit the state and county health departments in its mask protocols. Those agencies have recently relaxed mask guidance.

Starting Monday, masks for students, staff and visitors will no longer be required in buildings, though they are still strongly recommended. Masks are still mandatory on all school buses under federal rules.

Those who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate for five days. People may return on day six and wearing a mask is strongly recommended for up to 10 days. Staff and families must still tell the district when there is a positive COVID-19 test. Household close contacts are not required to quarantine anymore, regardless of vaccination status. However, the health department recommends a 10-day quarantine for unvaccinated household contacts.

The Kent County Health Department isn’t mandating contact tracing anymore, but GRPS will continue reporting weekly positive cases to the agency.

The district’s announcement comes after the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced that the state is in a post-surge “recovery stage” and updated its mask guidance. A few days later, the Kent County Health Department’s last remaining public health order related to COVID-19 expired.

GRPS also cited lower COVID-19 numbers in its decision, saying that the district is currently experiencing the lowest case counts of the year. Case numbers have been dropping statewide (and across the country) for weeks.

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Holland Public Schools also announced Feb. 18 that masks would be optional. That policy took effect at the start of this week.




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