Masks To Be Optional In Millburn Schools As Of March 7: Superintendent

MILLBURN, NJ — Millburn Superintendent of Schools Christine Burton said Friday that masks will be optional in Millburn public schools as of March 7.

(Livingston made a similar announcement Friday, based on local health data. READ MORE: Livingston Schools 'Intend' To Be Mask-Optional March 7)

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's announcement on Monday that the state's mask mandate for schools will be lifted in March — leaving it up to individual districts to make a decision — has resulted in debates and decisions around the state.

Dr. Burton issued this statement:

As you may know, on Monday, the Governor announced that the mask mandate for schools will be lifted as of March 7th. As of that date, masks will be optional for students, staff and visitors in the Millburn Schools. We encourage anyone who wishes to wear a mask to continue to do so, and we will support the choices made by our students and staff. Please note that per federal laws, masks will still be required on school buses.

We are awaiting the updated guidance from the NJ Department of Health regarding quarantine and contact tracing requirements. I will be conferring with our school nurses and local physicians for additional recommendations and will provide those details to you as we receive them.

I know that there are mixed feelings about taking this step. I want to assure you that we will continue to monitor community conditions and will have the ability to return to mask requirements if necessary. As of now, with transmission low and vaccination rates high, we feel
confident that we will be able to maintain the health and safety of our school community.

We will continue to follow the protocols and procedures that have evolved over the last two years. We have well-ventilated schools and cleaning protocols. We will maintain the healthy habits that are now in place, from consistent handwashing and/or use of hand sanitizer, cohorting students whenever possible, and requiring students and staff to stay home when they are sick. As the weather improves, we will optimize the use of outdoor spaces for lunch, snack and recess.

As we have throughout the course of this pandemic, we will work together to make these moves toward a return to normal with the priority, as always, the safety and well-being of our staff and students.

Local Data, Buses, And More

As of now, students will still have to mask up on school buses even after March 7.

Around Essex County, districts have given varied responses. The South Orange-Maplewood district has not made a decision and will be looking at local COVID data before they decide, that district said in a public statement on Tuesday.

Essex County residents can get information about Essex County testing, vaccines, and boosters here.

The Millburn schools also have provided testing options. Find out more here.

Hospitalizations And Ventilator Use Starting To Drop in NJ

In New Jersey as of Thursday, the state's 71 hospitals said they were treating 1,708 patients for COVID, 212 of those requiring breathing help from ventilators. A week ago, on Friday, Feb. 4, the state's hospitals were treating 2,409 patients who tested positive for COVID. Of those patients, 294 were on ventilators.

Those numbers were nearly half of what was reported two weeks before that. On Friday, Jan. 21, the state's 71 hospitals reported that they were treating 4,826 COVID positive patients. At the time, 511 patients were getting breathing help from a ventilator.

For comparison's sake, back in September 2021, 124 people were on ventilators in New Jersey hospitals.

Children are less likely to get seriously ill with COVID than adults. However, the CDC has called children losing a parent to COVID a "hidden pandemic." And some parents and children have experienced long COVID, as one Hoboken mom shared last year.

The state of New Jersey is urging parents to talk to their own pediatrician about the right safety measures for their child.

In New Jersey in January, before case numbers started coming down, hospitals saw their highest rates of kids hospitalized with COVID since the pandemic began, officials said. Four New Jersey kids have died of COVID since Christmas.

Children under 5 cannot yet get vaccinated for the virus.

In America, more than, 900,000 people have died of COVID since the start of the pandemic. The daily death rate is highest right now in these states.

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