California, Oregon and Washington end requirement for COVID masks in school

California, Oregon and Washington students will no longer be required to wear a COVID-19 masks as part of new pandemic policies, the Democratic governors said jointly Monday.

“With declining case rates and hospitalizations across the West, California, Oregon and Washington are moving together to update their masking guidance,” the governors said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press.

The change will collectively impact over 7.5 million school-age children and is part of the larger policy changes that include masks being strongly recommended rather than a requirement at most indoor places in California starting Tuesday and at schools on March 12, regardless of vaccination status.

In Washington and Oregon, all the requirements will lift March 12. However, school districts in the three states must decide whether to follow the state guidance, the wire service also reports.