Don’t remove your face mask just yet. Some NC schools still require them outdoors.
Updated May 10 with Orange County school system also leaving outdoor mask requirement in place.
Some Triangle school systems are still requiring face masks to be worn outdoors during the school day even though it’s no longer required by North Carolina health officials.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County school systems and Durham Public Schools are among the districts that are still mandating that face coverings be worn outdoors during school hours. School officials are citing health and safety reasons for the ongoing mask requirement that began in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Social distancing tends to be less common during recess,” Jeff Nash, a spokesman for the Chapel HIll-Carrboro school system, said in an email Friday. “Our team thought it would be a good idea to continue wearing masks during recess.”
In contrast, Wake, Johnston and Chatham counties are among the school districts who’ve recently made outdoor face mask use optional. The state Department of Health and Human Services still recommends, but no longer requires, that face masks be worn outdoors at schools when social distancing isn’t possible.
Since the start of the school year, the state has required face coverings to be worn indoors at schools. Until this week, DHHS had also required the face masks be worn outdoors if people weren’t at least 6 feet apart.
The new wording on outdoor mask use at schools reflects changes Gov. Roy Cooper recently announced that ends the state’s outdoor mask mandate.
Schools now decide on outdoor face mask rules
The change in state guidance put the issue of outdoor face mask in the hands of individual school districts, charter schools and private schools.
The Wake County system told families on Thursday that it’s dropping the outdoor mask requirement. Wake is North Carolina’s largest school system.
“Students and staff may choose to wear a face covering outdoors in these situations if they want, but a school or staff member may not require it,” Wake said in its update.
“NCDHHS still recommends that anyone who is not vaccinated continue to wear a face covering when they are closer than six feet to another person, even when outdoors. However, this is a NCDHHS recommendation and not a requirement.”
A similar message went out last Friday to Johnston County families.
In Chapel Hill-Carrboro, the district announced Friday that student-athletes and fans are encouraged, but no longer required, to wear face coverings at outdoor athletic events. Districts like Wake and Johnston had already made the switch last week for outdoor athletic events.
Districts leave outdoor mask rule in place
But Chapel Hill-Carrboro also said Friday it would continue to require face masks to be worn during the instructional day, even when students are outside for recess or classes.
Neighboring Durham Public Schools is also leaving in place, for now, its requirement for face masks to be worn outdoors.
“In Durham, we sometimes take a different approach compared to other districts with COVID-19 precautions,” Casey Watson, a Durham school spokeswoman, said in an interview Friday. “What we’re using is working for us.”
Orange County school officials did not return telephone or email messages from The News & Observer. But individual schools were telling families that there are no changes in the district’s requirements on outdoor face mask use.
This story was originally published May 7, 2021 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Don’t remove your face mask just yet. Some NC schools still require them outdoors.."
