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With Gov. John Bel Edwards' state-wide mask mandate taking effect this week, Louisiana students will once again head back to school wearing masks.
The mandate applies to anyone 5 and up in all public places, which includes K-12 schools and college campuses. Folks will be required to wear a mask starting Wednesday, and the mandate is initially scheduled to last until Sept. 1. This decision upends the previous notion that school districts would get to determine their COVID-19 mask requirements for the 2021-22 school year.
Edwards reinstated the mandate in response to the state's fourth surge of COVID cases, which is largely driven by the delta variant. According to Edwards, folks under 29 are driving the surge in cases, and young people ages 12-18 "are a huge part."