Ann Arbor schools require masks as several others recommend masking

Masks are back in at least one Michigan public school district, and they're recommended in several others.

Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jeanice Kerr Swift issued a health advisory update Sunday, announcing that face masks will be required for all students, staff and anyone who enters an indoor school building through Jan. 20.

“During this time of return from travel and social activities, the requirement of masks while indoors at school is a measure to reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses and related absenteeism and to prioritize health and in-school learning, particularly at this transition time following the winter break,” Kerr Swift wrote in the advisory.

“We all understand the critical importance of our students and staff being present for in-school learning on every day possible.”

'A time of higher risk of transmission in the school setting'

Although it didn’t issue a mask mandate, the Wayne County Public Health Division also recommended that students and staff returning to school after winter break voluntarily opt to wear masks for two weeks to slow the spread of respiratory viruses such as COVID-19, influenza and RSV.

Classes in Wayne County public schools — the state's most populous county — resumed Monday.

“The return from winter break is a time of higher risk of transmission in the school setting,” the recommendation says. “Alongside vaccination, masks continue to be an effective tool to protect against the spread of respiratory viruses.

“This voluntary, temporary recommendation is about being proactive to reduce the combined impact of higher-than-normal levels of flu and RSV and new COVID-19 variants.”

Trenton Public Schools posted the recommendation Monday as a pop-up on its website. The Allen Park Public Schools as well as the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools also posted the Wayne County recommendation to their websites.

The announcements come as the highly transmissible new coronavirus subvariant of omicron, XBB.1.5, is showing exponential growth across the U.S., and as cases of flu and respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, begin to wane after big November and December surges.

Though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that spread of the XBB.1.5 isn’t as high in the Midwest as in some other parts of the country, as of Saturday, it accounted for 27.6% of coronavirus cases nationally.

More:What to know about XBB.1.5, a more contagious COVID variant

More:Michigan could be pummeled with RSV, flu, COVID-19, health leaders warn

'Masks are an important tool'

A state health department spokesperson told the Free Press Monday that school districts and other organizations in Michigan should consider local conditions and work with local health departments to determine mask policies for schools, public meetings and large events.

"Masks are an important tool in mitigating spread of respiratory viruses," said Chelsea Wuth, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. "We encourage Michigan residents to follow local guidance and setting-specific policies regarding masking. Michigan residents should also consider their individual and family members' risk factors and vaccination status when making the personal decision whether to mask.

"Those with chronic illnesses or who are immunocompromised are at higher risk for poor outcomes from COVID-19 and would benefit most from masking in indoor settings. These risk factors may include age, medical conditions and vaccination status."

In Oakland County, spokesman Bill Mullan said: “Masking is recommended with current transmission rates. It is up to each school to determine whether students and staff need to wear masks in order to keep them safe and minimize disruptions to the classroom and other school operations.”

Region mostly at 'medium' transmission levels

The CDC’s coronavirus community transmission levels suggest the risk is at “medium” levels in most southeastern Michigan counties, including Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland and Macomb.

At medium levels, the federal agency recommends wearing a high-quality mask in indoor, public settings for people who are at high risk of getting very sick from the virus in addition to people who live with or have close contact with someone at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Health leaders also urge Americans to stay up to date with flu and COVID-19 vaccines, to stay home when sick and to keep a supply of coronavirus tests at home so they can test if they have symptoms, after being exposed to someone with COVID-19, before/after travel or gatherings, or before visiting someone at higher risk.

Free over-the-counter coronavirus tests are available to households through federal, MI Backpack Home Testing, Project Act and many Michigan libraries. If you test positive for COVID-19, health leaders suggest immediately isolating, avoiding travel and gatherings and seeking medical care if needed.

School mask requirements became a controversial issue earlier in the pandemic, as education and public health leaders tried to find ways to limit the risk of spreading coronavirus while also returning to in-person learning. Protesters both for and against mask mandates swarmed public health board meetings and school board meetings.

Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus. Subscribe to the Free Press.