The Arizona Department of Health Services on Nov. 19 issued an emergency mandate to strengthen its mask-wearing requirement in response to rising coronavirus cases across the state -- mandates that Deer Valley Unified School District has been implementing all along.
The ADHS on Thursday required district and charter schools to immediately mandate that masks are worn on school campuses, on school buses, and during school-associated activities by all students, faculty, staff, contractors and visitors.
“Based on recently released data, we now know masks provide more protection than previously thought,” ADHS director Dr. Cara Christ stated in a news release. “The new studies show that wearing a mask also protects the mask wearer, not just those around them. I encourage everyone to wear a mask whenever they are around people they don’t live with.”
