Face masks are now optional for Fayette County school students, staff and visitors inside school buildings. The school system circulated the announcement to parents on Friday. The memo said the change was due to “a significant decrease in our quarantines and positive cases since we implemented the face covering mandate two months ago.” The Oct. 22 weekly report showed 18 positive cases among students and staff. Per federal requirements, face masks must still be worn on school buses, and the county said the use of masks inside buildings is still highly recommended.
The school system’s COVID-19 Task Force will continue to monitor cases weekly, and could reinstate mask requirements in individual schools or countywide if cases spike again. The modified quarantine procedure remains in place, whereby students who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 can remain in school as long as they wear a face covering for 14 days and do not show any symptoms or test positive themselves. Parents are being reminded not to send sick children to school.