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Harrisburg, PA - With a focus on protecting students and keeping them in classrooms, Governor Tom Wolf joined the departments of Health, Human Services and Education today to discuss the current stateof COVID-19 and a newSecretary ofHealthorderrequiring masks to be worn inside K-12 school buildings, early learning programs and child care providers. Theordertakes effect12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Sept.7, 2021.

My office has received an outpouring ofmessages from parentsasking the administration to protect all children by requiring masks in schools, said Gov. Wolf.The science is clear.The Delta variant is highly transmissible and dangerous to the unvaccinated, many of whom are children too young to receive the vaccine. Requiringmasksin schools will keep our students saferand in the classroom,where we all want them to be.

I preferred for local school boards to make this decision. Unfortunately,an aggressive nationwidecampaignisspreading misinformationabout mask-wearing andpressuring and intimidatingschool districtsto reject mask policies that will keep kids safe and in school.As we see cases among children increase in Pennsylvania and throughout the country, this is especially dangerous and challenging as we seek to keep kids in school and maintain a safe and healthy learning environment.

ActingHealth Secretary Alison Beam was joined at a press conference today byGovernor Tom Wolf, Education SecretaryNoe Ortega,Human Services Acting Secretary Meg SneadandPresident of thePennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of PediatricsDr.TrudeHaecker.

The reality we are living in now is much different than it was just a month ago, said Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam.With case countsincreasing,the situation has reached the point that we need to takethisaction to protect our children,teachers and staff. The science is clear. If we want to keep our schools open, maintain classroom learning and allow sports and other activities to continue, masking significantly increases our chances of doing so.

Universal masking in schools, which theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) and theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics recommend, reduces therisk that entire classrooms will need to quarantine due to a positive COVID-19 case. This orderensures Pennsylvanias children are participating in classroom learning without the constant disruptions.

The Delta variant has been a driving force of the pandemic since the end of the previous school year. The variant is more contagious than the original strain of the virus, accounting for more than 92 percent of current COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania. Since July when schools first began discussing health and safety plans, Pennsylvanias COVID-19 caseload has increased from less than 300 a day to more than 3,000 a day with casesamongschool aged childrenincreasingby more than 11,000 in the last month, and by more than 79,000 from January 2021 to August 2021.

Additionally, new cases of COVID-19 among children enrolled in licensed child carefacilitieshave increased significantly in recent months, according to data reported to DHS by child care providers. For example, on June 4, child care providers reported eight cases of COVID-19 among children in the previous week. On August 27, the number of new COVID-19 cases among children in child care the previous week was 162.

The Wolf Administration continues to urge eligible Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated, asitisthebest defense at stopping the spread of the virus. However, there is currently no vaccine approved for children under 12 years old. For eligible adolescents in Pennsylvania, 18.2 percent of children ages 12-14 are fully vaccinated and 38.3 percent of children ages 15-19 are fully vaccinated.

After months apart, students and educators are eagerly returning to classrooms across Pennsylvania for the new school year, said Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. Unfortunately, weve already seen schools across the nation close because of COVID-19. Wearing masks is a proven strategy that will help Pennsylvanias schools reduce the spread of COVID-19, protect their communities, and keep our students and educators where we know its vital for them to be teaching, learning and growing together safely in their classrooms.

An early childhood education experience can shape a childs educational, social and emotional development throughout their lives. Science has shown us that the first five years of life are critical to brain development, influencing the trajectory of an individuals life for many years after, DHS Acting Secretary Meg Snead said. A thriving child care industry is also foundational to the rest of our economy, and this industry and the dedicated educators who show up every day to help our children grow will be essential for our recovery from this pandemic. Simply put, without access to safe child care and early learning programs, many parents cannot work.

Acting Secretary Beam signed the order under her authority provided by the Disease Prevention and Control Law.

The Order applies to everyone indoors at K-12 public schools including brick and mortar and cyber charter schools, private and parochial schools, career and technical centers (CTCs), and intermediate units (IUs). The order also applies to early learning programs and child careprovidersfor children ages 2 and older, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The order outlines the situations when a mask must be worn and includes limited exceptions to the face-covering requirement. The order does not apply to school sports or outdoor activities.

Failureto implement or follow theOrder maysubjecta persontopenaltiesunder theDisease Prevention and Control Law of 1955andexposuretopersonal liability.

Last week, the governor sent a letteraskingRepublican legislative leaders to immediately collaborate with him to pass legislation requiring mask wearing in schools andatchild carefacilities. Because the Republican leaders declined to act, theacting secretaryis taking action tohelp keep studentsin classrooms, which is the best place for them to learn.

The departments also provided an initial series ofanswers tofrequently asked questions about the Secretary of Healths masking order.

To view photos and video from today's event, please visitPACast.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lyndsay Kensinger, Governors Office, ra-gvgovpress@pa.gov

Mark ONeill, Health, ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov

Kendall Alexander, Education, kenalexand@pa.gov

Erin James, Human Services, ra-pwdhspressoffice@pa.gov

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Wolf Administration Requires Masking in Schools, Early Learning and Child Care Settings to Keep Students Safely in Classrooms and Delta Variant Out -...