Top MI Health Official Suggests Mask Mandate In Schools

MICHIGAN—Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state's top health official, recommended on Wednesday for Michigan schools to implement a mask mandate.

"I have recommended that if a mask mandate were in place and were followed, it would likely decrease the spread of Coivd-19 in schools," Dr. Khaldun said at a news conference on Wednesday. "But I also recognized that there are many other things that have to be considered when it comes to implementing a mandate."

Despite having legal authority to allow the health department to issue the mandate, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and top officials at the Michigan Department of Health and Human services have refused.

"As Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said, these smart public health protocols are only effective if everyone works together to protect each other," the governor's office said in a statement released in response to Dr. Khaldun's comments. "That’s why school districts and local health departments should work together to put in place universal mask policies to keep students safe and ensure that in-person learning can continue this year."

The state has updated its school instruction recommending universal masking for students and staff regardless of vaccination status. However, the guidance is not enforceable and individual schools districts continue to enforce their own policies regarding face coverings.

"While the CDC continues to stress the value of masking indoors – particularly for the unvaccinated like many of Michigan’s children – the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and many of our local health departments have so far refused to issue mask mandates for myriad indoor settings in Michigan," the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators said in a statement on Tuesday. "MASA believes that our members should evaluate multiple data points and do what is best for the health and safety of students, staff, and the entire PreK-12 community."

Gov. Whitmer and the MDHHS have routinely faced criticism from state representatives over their handling of the COVID-19 crisis. The Michigan House of Representatives has already stripped Gov. Whitmer of her emergency powers by repealing the Emergency Powers Act of 1945. And Whitmer may invoke more retaliation from state representatives if she enacts a mask mandate in schools.

So far, nearly 60 Michigan school districts have requirements for face coverings, which accounts for approximately 250,000 students.