Mask Mandate Returns To Philly Schools

PHILADELPHIA, PA — With COVID-19 cases once again rising in southeastern Pennsylvania and other parts of the state and country, mask mandates are returning to the Philadelphia Area School District, officials announced Friday.

Masking will resume on Monday, May 23. It applies to all students and staff inside schools during the school and work day, and while riding school buses and vans.

"As we’ve learned since the pandemic began, the coronavirus continues to evolve and so too will our response to it," Superintendent William Hite said in a statement. "As we work together to minimize the spread, please remember that our Health and Safety Protocols are still in effect, including the importance of notifying the District if you test positive for COVID-19."

The district said the mandate was recommended by the Philadelphia Department of Health.

The mandate has been lifted and returned multiple times now in response to the protean virus, with the policy last in place on April 25.

More to come.