McKee: Masks will be required in RI public schools this year

“Our number one priority has always been the health and safety of our children as they return to in-person learning this fall."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Governor Dan McKee announced at this weeks COVID-19 briefing that masks will be required in public schools in Rhode Island this fall.

The executive order was signed Thursday afternoon.

“All students will be wearing masks when school starts this September,” said Governor McKee.

This comes days after the Rhode Island Council on Elementary and Secondary Education voted to order the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) to not approve school plans for this upcoming school year that don’t include children masking up.

“Our number one priority has always been the health and safety of our children as they return to in-person learning this fall,” said McKee.

“We know that Rhode Island has one of the leading vaccine rollouts in the nation – and vaccines are our way out of the pandemic. We also know that, right now, children under the age of 12 cannot get vaccinated. That’s why masking is critical in schools. It buys us time until more children become eligible to receive the vaccine. I commend and thank the many municipalities and local school officials who already took the state’s recommendation and made plans to require masking for the beginning of the school year. I urge all eligible students and families who are not yet vaccinated to get their shot – it is time.”

RI Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said Thursday that any K-12 student exposed to another K-12 student infected with COVID-19 won’t need to quarantine if the exposure happened in an indoor classroom and both students were wearing masks and were properly distanced.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

WLNE-TV 2021