ROANOKE, Va. – On Thursday, Virginia announced that all schools will have to require masks for everyone while inside school buildings.
Virginia’s State Health Commission Dr. Norm Oliver issued a public health order, requiring that “all individuals aged two and older to wear maks when indoors at public and private K-12 schools in order to inhibit spread of the virus, as recommended and described by the CDC.”
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The order goes into effect Thursday and will remain until either the CDC guidance for K-12 schools changes or the health order is amended or ended.
While the order does apply to all individuals, it does include seven exceptions. Masks are not required while inside a school building at the following times:
- When eating, drinking or sleeping
- When exercising or using exercise equipment
- When playing a musical instrument that would be unplayable with a mask on (wind or brass) so long as 6 feet of physical distance can be maintainted from other persons
- Anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a mask without assistance
- Anyone who has a disability or meets at-risk criteria or those assisting such persons, including individuals with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan under the Rehabilitation Act, where wearing a mask would inhibit communication or the receiving of services
- When necessary to participate in a religious ritual
- Persons with health conditions or disabilities that prohibit wearing a mask. Adaptations and alternatives for individuals with health conditions or disabilities should be considered whenever possible to increase the feasibility of wearing a mask to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading if it is not possible to wear one.
The order also says that those who do not wear a mask due to a medical condition or a sincerely held religious object may request a reasonable accommodation.