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THURSDAY, Sept. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Florida’s school districts may require their students to wear masks, despite the governor’s order blocking mask mandates – at least for now.
A district court judge in León County ruled on Wednesday that the state could not impose a ban on Governor Ron Desantis banning school masks.CBS News reported.
“We’re not in normal times. We’re in a pandemic,” Leon County Judge John Cooper said during a virtual hearing, according to Associated Press. “We have a variant (coronavirus) that is more contagious and dangerous to children than the one we had last year.”
The question of who can decide on the mandates for masks has been under discussion since July, when DeSantis signed an executive order banning the mandates of the school district and allowing parents to decide whether their children will wear masks at school.
At least 10 state school boards have nevertheless fulfilled local mandates for masks, CBS News reported. The Florida Board of Education then responded by cutting funding for school board members in areas that opposed the order.
In a previous ruling, Cooper overturned the enforcement order just days after the sanctions began. The governor then appealed the decision. This necessitated an automatic suspension of the decision and allowed the ban on tenure in schools to continue.
The latter decision shall take effect immediately.
Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in Florida, in part due to the highly contagious Delta variant. Cooper noted this fact, saying that the evidence showed that masks provided some protection against the virus in crowded places such as schools, CBS News reported. Children under the age of 12 also do not yet qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine, he said.
“Based on the evidence I’ve heard, there is no harm to the state if they stay [against mandates] is set aside, “Cooper said.
The decision will remain in force until the state appeals the decision. DeSantis expressed confidence that the ban on mask mandates would be lifted.
“In the courts of state and federal Tallahassee, we usually lose if there is a political component. Then in the appellate court, we almost always win,” Desantis told a news briefing on Wednesday. “I’m sure we will eventually win after an appeal.”
The case is now being moved to the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee.
“Today we plan to submit our urgent motion for reinstatement and expect the appellate court to rule quickly, similar to the one in the case of reopening the school last year,” said Tarin Fenske, communications director in the governor’s office.
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There is also information on how masks can limit the spread of COVID-19 in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCE: CBS News; Associated Press
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