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Maine CDC still recommends masks in schools even as some districts stop requiring them

Social studies teacher Logan Landry looks over the shoulder of seventh grader Simone Moore as she works on a project while seated next to a cutout of Elvis Presley at the Bruce M. Whittier Middle School, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in Poland, Maine.
Robert F. Bukaty
/
AP
Social studies teacher Logan Landry looks over the shoulder of seventh grader Simone Moore as she works on a project while seated next to a cutout of Elvis Presley at the Bruce M. Whittier Middle School, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in Poland, Maine.

The director of the Maine CDC said the agency still recommends that masks be worn in schools.

Several school districts have already lifted their own requirements for masks. But Dr. Nirav Shah said he's looking for continued stability in this phase of the pandemic, especially following February break when students may have traveled and been exposed to COVID-19.

"When it comes to things like masking and social distancing, throughout the pandemic, what I fear is we've been a bit too late to recommend them as a country and a bit too hasty to move away from them," Dr. Shah said on Maine Calling Tuesday.

Shah said the Maine CDC will evaluate data in the coming weeks around school outbreaks, absenteeism, and wastewater sampling before lifting mask recommendations.