HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf today announced a statewide mask mandate for educators and students inside schools to help protect them as they return for the new year. Last week, Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R – Centre) and House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R – Lancaster) rejected Gov. Wolf’s call for a statewide mandate via legislation. Over the weekend, more than 9,000 new COVID-19 cases in the state were reported, and the number of hospitalizations due to the disease has been rising for weeks. In response to Gov. Wolf’s announcement, Dr. Max Cooper, an emergency physician in southeastern Pennsylvania and Co-State Lead for the Committee to Protect Health Care, released the following statement:
“Governor Wolf’s announcement that masks will be required inside all Pennsylvania schools is a welcomed one for physicians and parents as we continue to navigate this ongoing COVID-19 surge in the state. Now that the more contagious delta variant has taken hold, our children are unfortunately at a higher risk of getting infected and becoming seriously ill. Especially when children under 12 aren’t yet eligible for the safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines, masks are a simple and important part of the safety strategy to keep students and educators healthy while learning in person — a goal we all should share.”
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