Harwinton First Selectman Creates Facebook Page On Masking

HARWINTON, CT — Harwinton First Selectman Michael Criss has started a Facebook group to encourage discussion about whether kids should wear masks in school, according to CT Insider. The page was initially called "Unmask our Kids CT Harwinton," CT Insider reported, but is now called "Harwinton's Kids 'To Mask or Not to Mask.'" The group has 51 members.

The about page for the group reads: "The Official Harwinton Unmask group. We are here to have positive conversations on masks in our schools. We hope that can be fostered within this group!"

In creating the page, Criss referenced the statewide group "Unmask Our Kids CT," which has more than 11,000 members. He said the purpose of his group is to facilitate "a conversation to gauge if people are for (masks) or against it," and for this information to be relayed to state officials, according to CT Insider.

Currently masks are required in public schools by state order, though it's not clear whether this order will be extended when the school year begins.

The federal Centers for Disease Control has recommended students continue masking in schools due to the spread of the delta variant. Children under 12 years old also cannot yet receive the vaccine.

The state's positivity rate is the highest since March at 3.55 percent. Four of Connecticut's eight counties —Middlesex, New Haven, Hartford and New London — are experiencing "high" community transmission of COVID-19, per CDC guidelines. The classification is defined by 100 or more cases per 100,000 people, or a positivity rate of 10 percent or higher, over the past seven days.

A recent poll by Patch showed that 53.6 percent of people opposed masks in schools, while 41.3 percent supported masking in schools.

See related: The Mask Wars: Where Do Connecticut Patch Readers Stand?

COVID-19 Daily Positive Rate In Connecticut Highest Since March