Michigan’s mask mandate is lifted for people who are fully vaccinated. Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that last week. That was following new guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But there are still lots of questions to sort through.
School administrators are wondering what this will mean for in-person classes when some students are fully vaccinated and some are not.
“There is no solid way to prove vaccination status, so that’s going to be a question,” said Peter Spadafore of the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators. “Masking is still probably going to be required for many of our student populations as they’re not eligible for vaccination yet...We just saw vaccination eligibility open up to 12-year-olds and up, so I know we’re working with the state and local health departments to try and get as many of the 12-to-15-year-olds vaccinated.”
There’s no requirements for families sending kids to school to prove COVID vaccine status. That is required of other infectious diseases such as polio, measles, and diphtheria – unless families get a waiver.
The CDC is working on more specific COVID guidance for schools and businesses. But the federal agency only issues guidance – state and local governments make the rules.