Russell County School District updates mask policy following new CDC recommendations

The Russell County School District is mandating that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a face mask inside all educational buildings starting Tuesday.

Masks will be required inside classrooms and hallways, and also on school buses due to the CDC order mandating face coverings on public transportation.

These changes come after recommendations from the CDC, Alabama Department of Public Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, Russell County has a high level of community transmission, which is indicated by having a rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people being over 100 or more than 10% of COVID-19 tests come back as positive.

The school district will consider making masks optional again if COVID-19 cases begin to decrease, according to a news release. The district asks to be informed if students are in close contact with a positive individual, are symptomatic or test positive for COVID-19.

Russell County’s mask update comes after the school districts in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties and Phenix City updated their policies to require all individuals to wear masks. Harris County School District has made masks optional for students, but required for faculty, staff and visitors.

This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 3:00 PM.

Brittany McGee

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Brittany McGee is the community issues reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer. She is a 2021 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Media and Journalism with a second degree in Economics. She began at the Ledger-Enquirer as a Report for America corps member covering the COVID-19 recovery in Columbus. Brittany also covered business for the Ledger-Enquirer.