The Honorable Governor Jared Polis
Cc: Colorado superintendents
Delivered via email
The Colorado Medical Society and undersigned organizations of the Colorado House of Medicine urge Gov. Jared Polis to immediately enact a universal mask mandate for students, staff and visitors in all Colorado K-12th grade schools and childcare settings.
Taking into account public health recommendations grounded in science, this action will provide a critical layer of protection for schoolchildren – particularly those under age 12 who are currently ineligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination – and the larger school community of teachers, employees and families at a time when Colorado is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths due in large part to the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant. Failure to enact this mandate puts the lives of these 883,000 K-12 children, 60,000 teachers and administrators, and their families at risk.
Masks remain one of the most effective tools at reducing the spread of COVID-19, and the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommend universal masking in school settings for all students and staff regardless of vaccination status. Additionally, the CDC recommends wearing a mask indoors in public in areas of substantial or high transmission, which at this point includes the majority of the state’s population.
The undersigned organizations are keenly aware of the desire to “return to normal” and parents’ frustrations with changing recommendations. In addition to keeping children and families safe and protected, a statewide mask mandate in school and childcare settings will help reduce infections and outbreaks that disrupt the school year, better ensuring continuity in education. We applaud the American Academy of Pediatrics – Colorado Chapter for calling for universal masking in schools on Aug. 10. Together our organizations urge you to act now to protect Colorado.
Signed:
American Academy of Pediatrics, Colorado Chapter
American College of Emergency Physicians, Colorado Chapter
Aurora-Adams Medical Society
Colorado Academy of Family Physicians
Colorado Anesthesiology Society
Colorado Chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Colorado Chapter of the American College of Physicians
Colorado Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Society
Colorado Ear Nose and Throat Society
Colorado Medical Society
Colorado Pain Society
Colorado Psychiatric Society
Colorado Radiology Society
Colorado Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Denver Medical Society
Foothills Medical Society
Northern Colorado Medical Society
PEDIATRIX / MEDNAX Medical Group
References:
- Children’s Hospital Colorado, Masking in Schools (07/30/2021)
- Children’s Hospital Colorado, Masks for Kids: What You Need to Know About Face Coverings
- Children’s Hospital Colorado, Q&A: Back to School in Year Two of the COVID Pandemic
- AAP, COVID-19 Guidance for Safe Schools (07/18/2021)
- AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics Updates Recommendations for Opening Schools in Fall 2021 (07/19/2021)
- AAP – Colorado, Call for Universal Masking for All Colorado Schools and Child Care Settings (08/10/2021)
- CDC, Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People (07/28/2021)
- CDC, Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools (08/05/2021)
- Colorado Education Facts and Figures
Categories: Communications, ASAP