Your kids don’t need masks in California schools anymore. What are the risks?

California will no longer require masks in schools as of 11:59 p.m. Friday.

Here’s what we know about this decision, the impact of COVID-19 so far and what experts have to say about masking in schools:

Masks still strongly recommended

While masks will no longer be required in classrooms and daycare facilities starting March 12, they are still strongly recommended. Local entities are allowed to form stricter mask policies if they wish.

This decision from California officials to lift the mandate comes as COVID cases steadily decline across the country. Earlier this month, California lifted its mask mandate for unvaccinated people in most indoor settings.

“California continues to adjust our policies based on the latest data and science, applying what we’ve learned over the past two years to guide our response to the pandemic,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Feb. 28 statement.

Vaccine rates lower among children

The rate for children in California ages 5 to 11 who are fully vaccinated is at 31.8%, which represents the lowest rate compared to other age groups in the state as of Friday.

Some of the learning programs previously covered by the mandate involve children under 5 who are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccination rates for children ages 12 to 17 are also lower, with only 65.5% fully vaccinated, compared to 77% of adults ages 18 to 49, according to the state’s vaccine progress dashboard.

Unvaccinated people are more likely to become infected than those who are fully vaccinated against the virus, data show. Individuals who have not been vaccinated are also more likely to get a severe infection, be hospitalized or die.

COVID cases declining

The average daily number of new COVID cases in California is 3,925 as of Friday. Cases this year reached their peak in early January when the omicron variant surged, and cases have been going down since Jan. 10. The rate of new cases for the state is 9.2 per 100,000 people as of Friday.

The number of new cases in the U.S. have gone down since the start of the pandemic, with 49,710 new cases Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What are the risks?

Dr. Dean Blumberg, UC Davis Children’s Hospital chief of pediatric infectious disease, said that due to the decline in COVID cases and lowered transmission rates, he thinks it is reasonable for people to now make a decision about whether or not to wear a mask at school.

“Now with the decreased risk of infection, we can each take responsibility for our own health, and parents and kids can decide for themselves what their risk tolerance is and their specific circumstances are,” Blumberg said.

Some of these risk factors, he noted, include living with older adults, especially those over 85, or someone with a chronic medical condition.

While the risk for the infection is much lower than it was before, it is still not zero, said Dr. Olivia Kasirye, public health officer for Sacramento County. She said it is still a good idea for people, especially those with higher risk factors, to continue wearing a mask.

For kids under 5 years of age who are unvaccinated and may attend daycare, both experts said that masking remains especially important around this vulnerable group. Children over the age of 2 can also safely mask according to the CDC.

“It is very important that people recognize we still have COVID floating around and that it is still a strong recommendation to wear a mask,” Kasirye said.

For parents still uncertain about sending their kids to school with a mask or not, both doctors advise evaluating their own family’s circumstances related to the risk of getting infected, in the case their child brings it home from school.

This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 5:00 AM.