No mask mandate from Pennsylvania legislators
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania’s top ranking legislative Republicans told Gov. Tom Wolf they won’t support a statewide mask mandate in public schools.
House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Quarryville, and Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte, denied the governor’s request for legislative action on the issue next month in a letter sent Thursday, preferring instead to leave the decision in the hands of local school board officials.
The leaders said the mandate would come “too late,” with many schools welcoming students back before the end of the month.
The response comes less than a day after Wolf sent the leaders of the four legislative caucuses a letter requesting they pass a mandate to help protect unvaccinated school children younger than 12.
By his administration’s count, fewer than 13% of the 474 submitted health plans from districts include universal masking policies.
“It is clear that action is needed to ensure children are safe as they return to school,” he said in the letter, first obtained by Spotlight PA.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended universal masking for students in public schools, as well as unvaccinated adults. Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam encouraged Pennsylvania districts to follow that guidance, but stopped short of mandating it herself because she fears legislative retaliation against her department and its response capabilities.
The GOP leaders said Thursday that boosting vaccination rates remains the best defense against COVID-19, but chided the administration for withholding data that would help districts make more informed decisions about mitigation policies.
“One of the frustrations many local officials, some of which you reference in your letter to us, have is the lack of clear data that can meaningfully assist them in determining threat levels in their areas,” the leaders write.
About 65% of Pennsylvania’s 13 million residents 18 and older are vaccinated, according to the Department of Health. More than 1,600 are hospitalized with the virus, of which 462 are receiving treatment in intensive care units.
Corman and Cutler said they believe the “overwhelming majority of hospitalized patients” are unvaccinated and asked Wolf, again, for data that breaks patients into two groups – vaccinated or unvaccinated. The rising case counts, they added, serve as a reminder to stay “vigilant.”
“However, the impact is not equal everywhere,” the letter concludes. “That is why we continue to believe it is the best interest of local communities and their health care leaders to make their own mitigation decisions with support from the state, which includes clear and specific data upon which to make the best choices.”
Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square