Johnson County officials will decide Jan. 6 whether to end their school mask mandate as COVID-19 cases continue to rise ahead of the busy holiday travel season and as Kansas confirmed its first case of the contagious omicron variant. The Johnson County Board of Commissioners on Thursday set the date for the much-anticipated vote almost a week after 26 local elected officials signed a letter demanding the board drop its health order in favor of letting school districts determine their masking rules. The current county order, in place since August, requires masks in schools that serve students as old as sixth grade, an effort to stem the virus’s spread while vaccination rates among children remain low. The order is in effect through May 31, unless the commission amends or revokes it.
Source: Joco 913 News
