Montco Releases New COVID School Guidelines

NORRISTOWN, PA — Masks are not recommended indoors for the upcoming school year in Montgomery County for either vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals, so long as cases remain below a certain threshold, according to the latest guidelines issued Monday by health officials.

The safety recommendations for the 2021-22 school year note that as long as the incidence rate in each school district remains at 9 or less, and the positivity rate on tests is below 5 percent, masks are not required.

“We have reviewed all of the current guidance from all relevant public health authorities to make these new recommendations, and will continue to follow the data," Richard Lorraine, the Montgomery County Office of Public Health's medical director, said in a statement.

Masks are still required on public and private school transportation, as per CDC guidelines, the county notes.

The advice comes as the county is seeing an increase in cases for the first time in months, with the more contagious delta variant spreading nationwide. The percent positivity rate rose to 2.5 percent the past week, according to state data, after falling as low as 0.5 percent.

RELATED: COVID Numbers Start To Rise Again In Montgomery County

If cases rise out of that lowest threshold into the "moderate" category — which is 10-49 cases per 100,000, or a positivity rate between 5 and 7 percent — then unvaccinated individuals should wear masks, the guidelines state.

Vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks in the moderate category; that's only recommended if a school district is in the "substantial" grouping: 50-99 cases per 100,000, or a positivity rate between 8 and 9.9 percent.

Universal masking is only recommended if numbers exceed the substantial category into the most severe "high" category. At this point, masks are also required outdoors.

“It is important to acknowledge that in making these recommendations, we are reviewing all of the potential effects, both positive and negative, of the proposed mitigation strategies," Lorraine added.

The county also updated their contact tracing and quarantining guidance from last year. Now, if an unvaccinated student is exposed to a positive individual, but was at least three feet distant at all times, that individual will not need to quarantine.

The full guidelines, which also cover ventilation guidelines and sanitation stations, are available online here.