North Gwinnett News

Gwinnett County Public Schools has announced that it will require masks for all students, staff and visitors to all county school facilities and on school buses, regardless of whether they've been vaccinated. 

The school system said that it made the decision based on latest Centers for Disease Control guidance, according to a press release. 

"This decision takes into account current conditions, the rise in COVID-19 case rates in Gwinnett County, and the ineligibility of children age 12 and younger for the vaccine," the release said. 

When the CDC lifted mask-wearing guidance on May 13 for vaccinated people, the Delta variant represented 1% of infections. According to the CDC it is now 83% of cases, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The school system said that the decision was made because in-person instruction is "critical" for students, because the CDC says that wearing masks is a key tool for stopping the spread of COVID-19 and elementary students and young middle school students currently are not eligible to be vaccinated, according to the press release. 

"The facts and recommendations are clear … masks do make a difference and we must do all we can to keep students in school, in person," J. Alvin Wilbanks, CEO and Superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools, said in a press release. 

Parents have until Aug. 2 to decide if their children will be taught in person or online, according to Gwinnett Daily.

The school system also said in its announcement that in the classroom setting, students who are identified as close contacts to a student who is positive for COVID-19 will not have to quarantine if both students are wearing masks, the release said. 

"We must continue to reject nonsensical government mandates and trust individuals and families. You have my word that I will always fight ensure that Georgia continues to follow the data and science in the fight against COVID-19, not activists trying to play pandemic politics," said Georgia state Sen. Clint Dixon in a Facebook post.