Wake County Schools Releases Mask Guidelines Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases

The Wake County Public School System released guidelines for students wearing masks once they return to classrooms amid increasing COVID-19 numbers in the state of North Carolina.

The district is urging parents to practice wearing masks with their children in preparation for when schools return to in-person classes full time, ABC 11 reports. Wake County Public Schools students will be required to wear masks while at school and on the bus, according to the district.

Schools will help students with adjusting their mask during the day and providing short breaks outside during the day if a child needs to take their mask off. Wake County Pre-K through third grade and special education students are scheduled to return to the classroom part-time as soon as October 26.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,734 new COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour span, ABC 11 reports. The state dashboard also reported the 7-day trend line for the trajectory of new cases has been increasing during the month of November after stabilizing last month.

The department said there are currently 1,103 North Carolinians hospitalized due to COVID-19, surpassing the 1,000-patient total for the second consecutive day. In total, 344 suspected COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals in North Carolina during the past 24 hours.

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