Gov. McKee Urges RI School Districts To Require Masks

PROVIDENCE, RI — Without going so far as issuing a school mask mandate, Gov. Dan McKee is urging Rhode Island school districts to require mask when students return this fall, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.

McKee in a news conference Tuesday said state Public Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott issued a strong recommendation that all Rhode Island school districts require masks for students, faculty, staff and visitors. And so far, nearly, 80 percent of the state's school districts issued their own mandates, including Cranston — which is one of the largest school districts in the state, McKee said.

"With Cranston's vote last night, over 100,000 students throughout the state are in systems requiring masks," McKee said. "I congratulate and thank every district out there that is following this lead to keep our students safe."

Still, some school committees, like Johnston, voted to make mask-wearing optional for students. But despite there not being a mandate, the governor said he will work with school districts who haven't mandated masks to do so before fall.

"Having kids uninterrupted through the school year is a high priority," McKee said. "Right now we have many students who can't get vaccinated, 5-11 years old. They need to be wearing masks. This is about our children and their safety. We're going to make sure our students can learn safely in the classroom."

The state of COVID-19 in Rhode Island

Despite the delta variant creating a resurgence for COVID-19 nationwide, McKee said Rhode Island is still in good shape in several key metrics.

Along with having the fifth-highest vaccination rate in the country, McKee said Rhode Island has the least number of COVID-19 deaths per capita, the seventh-lowest hospitalizations per capita and the third-most COVID-19 tests per capita.

More than 71,000 jobs have been recovered since the beginning of the pandemic, and the unemployment rate is 9.5 percent, right in line with the national average, the governor said. McKee said he's bringing back weekly COVID-19 updates on Thursdays to keep residents, school districts, business leaders and municipal officials as up to date as possible.

McKee also said maintaining the state's high vaccination rate is crucial for Rhode Island's economy to continue its bounce back.

"FDA approval is coming, and there's no reason for anyone to be concerned about the approvals," McKee said. "The number one thing you can do to support small businesses is to get vaccinates."