Franklin Connection - Serving Franklin County, WA

PASCO — Two days after Gov. Jay Inslee reaffirmed his order requiring all public school employees and students to wear masks on campu to prevent coronavirs spread, the School District says it is “reviewing all of the new updates.”

District administrators stopped short of saying they will enforce a mask mandate, instead opting to say they “will communicate details to all staff and families prior to the start of school.”

The first day of school here is scheduled for Aug. 31.

The brief School District statement follows a Wednesday press conference in which Inslee said his previous order requiring students and employees to wear masks remains in effect, regardless of whether they have received the Wuhan coronavirus vaccine. The governor also used the press conference to remind employers they are required to obtain proof of vaccination from employees or require them to wear a mask to avoid legal action.

“The governor stated that his decision is due to the impacts of the COVID-19 Delta variant and increasing case counts, especially in school-aged children,” the Pasco School District statement said, noting new “guidance” for public K-12 schools has been released by the state Department of Health.

The governor blamed a recent increase in coronavirus cases on residents who are not vaccinated; in Eastern Washington, slightly more than a third of residents have been inoculated.

Meanwhile, state Secretary of Health Dr. Amair Shah said during the press conference that the viral spread is being driven by vaccinated individuals passing the virus onto those who have not sought the experimental inoculation.