DHEC encouraging mask wearing in schools

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– After a federal judge has temporarily blocked the mask mandate ban in schools, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says it continues to strongly encourage masking in schools.

The state was sued by parents of disabled children, with help from the American Civil Liberties Union, saying the ban discriminated against the children by keeping them out of public schools during the pandemic.

The director of DHEC says, during a recent study in Arizona, researchers found there were three times more positive COVID-19 cases in schools that did not enforce masks than schools that did enforce masks. Health officials say the only way to fight back against the pandemic is to vaccinate children when their age group is approved, and to wear face coverings.