Gov. Andy Beshear has issued a new mandate that requires everyone age 2 and older to wear a mask while indoors in all public and private child care centers along with pre-K and K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Beshear said the mandate runs for 30 days but can be renewed.
Beshear said “every public health group from the federal to the local is supportive of this requirement.”
“This is how we make sure we protect our children, but this is also how we make sure that they stay in school,” he said during a Tuesday media briefing.
The order includes a list of exemptions.
The governor said after the initial 30 days they will assess the situation to determine if the mandate should be renewed.
Beshear for weeks has given “strong” recommendations, in accordance with federal and state health guidance, that Kentucky school systems should require universal masking, but said a mandate was not off the table if schools didn’t follow that guidance.
Kentucky Department of Education officials also previously said they planned to let each district decide how their schools will operate this fall.
Last week, a joint announcement was made that universal indoor masking will be required at all Daviess County and Owensboro public schools as well as Owensboro Catholic schools. All three school systems are still scheduled to begin the year in-person on Wednesday.
Beshear’s new order takes the decision out of the hands of local school systems, at least for now.
This story may be updated as more information becomes available.
