Philadelphia schools will require masking for 10 days after winter break

Philadelphia schools will return to mandatory masking for 10 days after students return from winter break, officials announced Thursday.

Students and staff, who now have the option to wear masks, will be required to mask from Jan. 3 through Jan. 13.

The move comes “in an effort to be proactive in supporting healthy environments and maintaining in-person learning following students and staff returning from winter break,” spokesperson Christina Clark said in a statement. “This is a proactive measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in school, reduce absenteeism and prioritize in-person learning after the winter break.”

It follows a directive issued this summer by Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. and Kendra McDow, a pediatrician, epidemiologist, and the district’s chief medical officer. In August, Watlington and McDow said the district would remain mask-optional for the 2022-23 school year, as long as COVID-19 case counts did not spike. They also said mandatory masking could return for brief periods, when warranted; students and staff masked for the first 10 days of the school year.

Officials also said Thursday that free COVID tests are available at five testing sites across the city — South Philadelphia, Fels, Overbrook, Martin Luther King, and Edison High Schools for as long as supplies last. (The testing sites will be closed Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 in observance of federal holidays.)

“The district also encourages families and staff to take extra precautions to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and will continue to work with the PDPH to closely monitor COVID case counts and implement any actions needed to protect the health and well-being of everyone in our schools,” Clark said.

As winter looms, a “tri-demic” of COVID, flu, and RSV is hitting hospitals hard, both locally and nationally.