BUFFALO, N.Y. — With students returning to school soon, the Erie County Department of Health said it will offer its safety guidance on Monday morning.
County Executive Mark Poloncarz, health commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein, and a group of school leaders will attend Monday's news conference. The health and safety guidelines will be for public, private, and charter school students pre-K through 12th grade.
Just last week, while touring a public school in New York City, Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul addressed the topic of mask mandates. Hochul, who will be sworn in as governor early Tuesday morning, says the New York State Department of Health has the authority to implement mask mandates.
"I believe that we'll need mask mandates for children to go back to schools, and that will have to be universal. It will be statewide," she said.
Earlier this month, as school leaders prepared for a new academic year, the New York State Education Department released its Health and Safety Guide for the 2021-2022 School Year.
The state education department's guide is meant to provide schools with a resource to safely start the school year as they develop their own plans. The guidance is based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Both agencies suggest universal indoor masking in K-12 schools regardless of vaccination status and community transmission levels.