Universal masking leads to fewer covid cases in schools, study finds
Public schools that kept universal masking requirements in place last year had significantly fewer coronavirus cases than their counterparts that lifted mandates as state policies changed, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that weighs in on the hotly debated pandemic safety measure.
The study, which followed schools in the Boston region during the 2021-2022 academic year, found that the end of mask requirements was associated with an additional 45 coronavirus cases per 1,000 students and staff members — or nearly 12,000 cases during a 15-week period from March to June.
School systems in Boston and Chelsea, Mass., had stayed with universal masking even after Massachusetts officials rescinded the statewide requirement in February. But 70 nearby school districts did away with masking mandates.
Before that split, coronavirus trends were similar across the school districts. Afterward, they diverged, with a “substantially higher incidence in observed in school districts that lifted masking requirements,” according to the research.
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The toll of the additional coronavirus cases was stark: They translated into at least 17,500 missed school days for students and 6,500 missed school days for staff members, at a time when schools were following an isolation period of at least five days for those infected, the study said.
https://wapo.st/3TtRcRB
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Somebody should tell CDC about this "shocking" finding.
I've not gone out around people in stores & such since late Feb. 2020 sithout a niosh N-95 firmly affixed to my face.
Kids in the local schools here were all required to wear masks - even on the school bus. The exception that they finally made were outdoor activities. But that didn't stop Covid from showing up in each of the four schools - but it was determined that it started with teachers in most cases! 
