Daviess County, Owensboro, and Catholic Schools Reinstating Mask Mandates

With the COVID-19 Delta variant causing infection numbers to spike around the country and right here in Kentucky, mandates that many may have thought had permanently gone by the wayside are making a comeback.

With schools set to reopen for the 2021-2022 school year, folks were wondering if education was going to return to normal or if the pandemic was once again going to rear its ugly head.

And it has.

On Wednesday, the superintendents of Owensboro Public Schools, Daviess County Public Schools, and Owensboro Catholic Schools made a joint Facebook announcement in which they acknowledged the sharp resurgence in COVID cases and confirmed that mask or face covering mandates will return for students and staff for all districts in Owensboro and Daviess County, regardless of vaccination status.

Here's the announcement:

I have no children, but I have plenty of friends who do. And I heard numerous stories of how stressful a situation it came to be for kids having to endure remote learning. The pictures painted were not pretty. So I very much appreciate this mitigating step that will allow kids to learn in person and, of course, to remain safe.

The most recent COVID incidence rate map for Kentucky illustrates the current resurgence, with 87 of the Commonwealth's 120 counties in the critical or red zone. That means these counties are reporting more than 25 cases per 100,000 individuals.

Tuesday's update from the Green River District Health Department revealed 162 new cases of COVID-19 in Daviess County, with 355 total in the seven-county district.

46% of Daviess County's population is currently vaccinated.

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