Dr. Khaldun recommended to Gov. Whitmer school mask mandate would decrease COVID-19 spread
LANSING, Mich. — Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the Chief Medical Executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said Wednesday that she recommended to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel that a mask mandate in schools statewide would slow the spread of COVID-19.
"I have recommended that if a mask mandate were in place and it were followed it would likely decrease the spread of COVID-19 in schools,” Khaldun said after being repeatedly pressed by reporters about whether she recommended a mask mandate.
So far the state is recommending, but not requiring school districts implement mask mandates.
Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal masking in schools regardless of vaccination status.
On Wednesday Allegan and Kalamazoo Counties issued orders requiring children in kindergarten through sixth grade and staff who work with them must wear masks in classrooms.
Both orders are effective until six weeks past the date that a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and available to people aged 5-11.
