MARSHALL — Falling COVID-19 numbers and new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mean that the rules for masking are changing at local schools.
This week, Marshall Public Schools told families that students are no longer be required to wear face coverings on school buses, and Southwest Minnesota State University is lifting its campus mask requirement as well.
On Monday, MPS sent an email to families saying that the CDC was no longer enforcing the requirement for people to wear masks on buses or vans operated by schools. Indoor masking is also no longer recommended at schools in areas with a low or medium community COVID level, said MPS Superintendent Jeremy Williams.
Bill Mulso, vice president of communications at SMSU, said the requirement to wear masks in public spaces on the university campus was lifted Tuesday. However, if COVID levels rise in Lyon County, the mask rule could come back.
“We’ll continue to monitor the levels,” Mulso said.
Mulso said SMSU’s decision was based on guidance released by the CDC last week, along with a new framework to determine the level of COVID-19 in a county.
“The (CDC) metrics look at not only the number of cases, but hospitalizations and hospital capacity,” Mulso said.
Under the new CDC guidance, wearing a mask indoors in public is recommended for areas with a high COVID-19 community level. However, people can still choose to wear a mask at any time. People with COVID symptoms, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask, the CDC said.
According to CDC data updated on Feb. 24, Lyon County was one of several area counties with a low COVID-19 community level. Lincoln, Redwood, and Murray counties were also listed as low levels. Yellow Medicine and Pipestone counties both had a medium community level.
While public masking is no longer being required at SMSU, Mulso said there were still some rules for university students. Student athletes are still following the COVID guidelines established by the NCAA. Mulso said SMSU students who have been exposed to COVID-19 or who have tested positive for COVID should still follow guidelines for quarantine and isolation.
Beginning March 14, athletes and students living in SMSU’s residence halls will no longer be required to have proof of vaccination or get weekly COVID tests, Mulso said. According to the university website, SMSU will not have a vaccination or testing requirement in place for this summer or fall — although that could change if community COVID levels rise to “high.”
While Minnesota started the year with a record spike in COVID cases, the number of new cases reported at MPS and SMSU has fallen over the past month, Mulso and Stelter said.
“Starting in February, the numbers really started to drop off” among SMSU students, Mulso said.
The week of Jan. 12, SMSU had 48 reported cases of COVID among students, according to the Minnesota State COVID dashboard. That number fell sharply by the end of January. By the week of Feb. 23, there were only two student cases and no faculty cases reported.
Marshall Public Schools has also seen COVID numbers fall in recent weeks. According to the district’s COVID dashboard, there are currently six positive cases among students, and none among school staff.
