TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ most populous county on Thursday imposed a mask mandate for students and staff in elementary schools in hopes of checking the more contagious COVID-19 delta variant.
The Johnson County Commission voted 5-2 for a mask requirement for schools from kindergarten through the sixth grade. The commission faced criticism both from health care providers who urged members to go further and from parents and other residents who opposed a mask mandate.
Johnson County, in the Kansas City area, has six public school districts with about 96,000 students or 20% of the state’s total. The mandate would affect roughly 50,000 students.
“We all want our schools open,” commission Chairman Ed Eilert said during a live-streamed meeting. “We all want out kids in school, learning.”
Critics questioned whether the commission can set policy for school districts. Many of the 90-plus people who signed up to make public comments questioned the effectiveness of masks or said parents should decide whether children wear them.
And Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara said the delta variant is not yet a serious public health problem.
“It’s time to get on with the business of life,” she said.
Kansas has seen new COVID-19 case numbers rise steadily over the past six weeks because of the delta variant.