Ridgewood Schools 'Formulating' Mask Policy

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Public school officials will need to consider a rise in COVID-19 cases, and perhaps shifting mask guidance, when finalizing a return to school plan for the fall.

Gov. Phil Murphy said this week that masking decisions will be made with "local realities" in mind in the midst of a rise in the delta variant. These comments followed guidance from federal officials which recommend the use of masks in public.

Superintendent Thomas Gorman said the district would consider what's happening locally when crafting a new mask policy.

We met with the Village of Ridgewood Health Department this morning to discuss the new CDC recommendations and review local data. Together, we are in the process of formulating the mask policy for our schools that reflects local activity levels and vaccination rates.

Governor Phil Murphy and state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli announced today they "strongly recommend" masking in indoor settings for both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents due to increased risk.

The recommendation follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s own mask announcement on Tuesday due to the delta variant spurring a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases across the country.

Bergen, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Ocean, Burlington and Atlantic counties all showed "substantial" transmission rates while all of New Jersey's remaining counties show low transmission rates.

As of Wednesday, there were 824 new positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, 342 new probable cases, 3 lab-confirmed deaths and two hospital confirmed deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the state's data.

Read more: NJ Updates Mask Guidance After CDC Announcement