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State Will Not Require Masks The Last Week Of Class For K-12 Students

ChinaSource

During the last week of the school year, masks will no longer be required for students in Utah’s K-12 schools. 

Gov. Spencer Cox announced during his Thursday COVID-19 briefing that the state will not require students to wear masks during their final week of school this year. Individual districts will still have the option to impose a mask mandate if they want.

“This will give students an opportunity to see their teachers, to see their friends, to spend that last week together without a mask if they so choose," he said. 

Gov. Cox said making this decision required considering both the children who haven’t been able to see their teachers' faces this year and those whose families may have members at higher risk of complications from COVID-19.

Since the last week of school is typically not rigorous, Cox said it is the best time for students to miss school if they are uncomfortable with the lack of masks.

“We felt like this was a really solid compromise opportunity for kids to have that ability to go to school without a mask, but again, leaving it up to the local school districts to make that ultimate decision," he said. 

During the briefing, Cox also announced that the unemployment rate in Utah is tied for the lowest in the nation at 2.9%. Because of this, he said the federal unemployment benefit that provided an additional $300 a week to unemployed Utahns will end on June 26.

As of Thursday, the rolling seven day average of news cases was 328 per day. This is a slight decrease from 343 cases per day the week before.

Harley is a news reporter at UPR. She covers a bit of everything, but especially news dealing with education and updates from the governor. She has always loved both writing and public speaking, so radio is perfect for her. She is a student at USU studying journalism, sociology, and criminal justice. Outside of work and school, she loves running, hiking, and exploring National Parks.