Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin has promised a new approach to handle COVID-19. He has encouraged vaccination but opposed vaccine and mask mandates, emphasizing personal choice
Virginia’s incoming governor, Glenn Youngkin, said he will lift the state’s school mask mandate and change other COVID-19 policies after taking office Saturday, Jan. 15. The change in direction is expected amid what the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association called the fifth surge of the pandemic.
Youngkin said in an interview Wednesday that Virginia would no longer require children to wear masks in schools.
“We’re gonna rescind the mandate that requires K-12 children to wear a mask to school, and we’ve been quite clear about that,” he told WTKR-TV in Norfolk, repeating a point he made while campaigning.
School districts will be able to keep mask recommendations in place, but parents can choose not to follow them, he added.
“The way that Virginia works is that the governor cannot ban mask mandates. Schools make those decisions,” he said. “We will in fact, then, also make sure that schools allow parents to exercise their rights for what’s best for their children, to opt-out of those mandates.”
Youngkin’s office did not respond to an inquiry about whether he will lift the K-12 mask mandate on his first day in office, or what he would tell parents who fear the policy change will spread the virus.
School boards in Loudoun County and Spotsylvania County are expected to hold meetings next week.