Scott Fallon

Will vaccinated NJ high school students be allowed to go maskless next school year?

Mask mandates may be waived at New Jersey high schools sooner than elementary and middle school in the fall because teens have a head start on getting vaccinated for COVID-19 over younger children, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday.

A day after he said all students will likely be required to wear a mask come September, Murphy suggested Wednesday that mask rules for schools and even summer camps are more fluid as COVID-19 numbers continue to drop and federal guidance may change.

“If the science suggested it, you can turn your mask guidance on a dime because it’s easy,” Murphy said at a briefing. “You just don’t wear this the next day. So stay tuned.”

The remarks came with New Jersey on the cusp of lifting its indoor mask mandate this Friday. One major exception is anywhere unvaccinated children congregate in large groups such as schools, day care centers and camps.