Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration has issued a universal mask mandate for K-12 schools.
The move comes after a handful of school districts in recent days decided to buck the governor’s interpretation of a state law and opt not to require face coverings. Tension over the issue has exploded at numerous school board meetings recently.
Cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are both on the rise in Virginia, although the state is not facing the same dire conditions as others in the South.
Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by about 132%.
