Onslow County Schools will begin requiring face coverings for all staff, students older than five and visitors indoors Thursday, with full implementation by Sept. 13, according to a news release.
There will be exemptions, including physical, emotional or developmental disabilities. The Onslow County Board of Education voted at their meeting on Sept. 7 to require face coverings. The release said this decision comes after the number of students in quarantine has increased. Students do not have to quarantine if both individuals were masked during a COVID-19 exposure, with some exceptions for extracurricular settings. The face covering requirement will be reconsidered by the Board as required by General Statute. The school district has also adjusted their quarantine period to a minimum of 10 days symptom-free without a COVID-19 testing requirement. The release said this is in order to standardize the quarantine period and help ease the burden on the medical community.