Just days after Rutherford County Schools failed to vote on an updated pandemic policy, the school board has adopted a temporary mask mandate. The policy goes into effect on Monday.
More than 10,000 students were quarantined for at least one day last week, as the county continues to exceed its previous winter highs. The county had 4,305 active cases on Friday and reached its one-day peak on Monday with 658 new cases.
Still, not everyone will be wearing masks. Due to Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order, parents will be allowed to exempt their children from mask mandates.
This new rule will affect quarantine restrictions. If a masked student comes into contact with a positive case at school, that student will be exempt from a school-initiated quarantine unless they’re exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.
If Rutherford County no longer exceeds a 10% positive rate for three consecutive weeks, the 30-day mandate will automatically expire. But the county will have to reach 15% or higher to have the mask requirement automatically reinstated in the future.
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