This morning the CDC has issued new guidance for schools this fall.
But Governor Newsom and California public health officials are ignoring that guidance and issuing their own orders.
The CDC's new guidance puts an emphasis on fully reopening schools this fall, but it says that fully vaccinated teachers and students don't need to wear masks indoors. California is taking a different approach for its 6.1 million K-12 students.
It says all schools will be mandated to require students wear masks indoors so that all students are treated equally and there's no guessing about who is and who is not vaccinated. Unvaccinated individuals don't need to wear masks outdoors in most settings but should still wear them inside, according to the guidance, which is aimed at grades K-12. All kids should maintain 3 feet of distance between each other in the classroom, though the agency acknowledged that might not be doable at every school.
"When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully reopen while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking," the guidance said.