Governor Newsom announced today that California will update its masking guidance thanks to declining case rates and hospitalizations across the state. After 11:59 p.m. on March 11, California will adopt new indoor mask policies and move from mask requirements to mask recommendations in schools. CDPH will be updating K-12 Schools Guidance to reflect that after 11:59 p.m. on March 11, 2022, students and staff members in K-12 settings will be strongly recommended, not required to mask while indoors. Please note that this change to statewide guidelines does not take effect until after 11:59 p.m. on March 11, 2022, effective Saturday, March 12. Masking is still required while indoors on school grounds until that time. County public health officers may still impose rules more stringent than the state.
Ukiah Unified follows California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidance and mandates to allow in-person instruction in the safest way possible. At no point in time have we created stricter guidance than our county and state, nor have we put Ukiah Unified at risk by going outside of the guidelines and requirements to implement our own policies.
We have done everything we can to support our students, families, and community throughout the pandemic. Thanks to the commitment and resilience of our Ukiah Unified community doing our part, we can now begin a new chapter. This new chapter is focused on continuing the mitigation strategies we are all familiar with - monitoring symptoms, testing, high-quality ventilation, etc. - with a great deal of focus on personal responsibility and respect.
Thank you for your collaboration as we continue to navigate continued changes. I truly appreciate your patience as we take every step to preserve the health of our students and staff while keeping our community as safe and healthy as possible. Please have a great week.