SW Iowa Times

Some Iowa schools are opting to enact a mask mandate in response to the State of Iowa relaxing quarantine measures.

The change in state requirements means that anyone exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will no longer be required to quarantine for two weeks if both the infected person and the exposed person were wearing masks during the encounter, according to coverage by Radio Iowa.

The impact of this on schools is especially significant. Whereas individuals may be, essentially, on an honor system regarding quarantining, schools that had previously discovered someone had tested positive who had even entered one of their buildings might have had to switch to 100% remote learning for all students for weeks after.

“I know that there are folks that don’t want to wear the masks, but they’re really doing a good job of doing it here,” James Craig, superintendent of Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District, told Radio Iowa. “And understanding that doing that keeps them safer and keeps them more likely to stay in school and not have to be quarantined at home.”