Two local school districts implement mask-wearing for all grades to help curb infections during holiday season

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - In an attempt to curb COVID-19 infections before the Holiday season hits its full stride, both Mesa County Valley School District 51 and the Montrose County School District (MCSD) are implementing a mask-wearing mandate for all students.

Both districts made exceptions for mask-wearing prior to this announcement, such as for elementary school students. Now, both districts will require K-12 students to wear masks in most situations.

D51 in-person students are required to wear masks while indoors and outside when social distancing is not possible and for MCSD students, in-person students are required to mask up whenever they are on school campus grounds.

Both counties have seen an uptick in cases over the past month. Mesa County’s two-week percent positive rate stands at 10.2%, while Montrose County’s is at 14.5%.