Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey rescinded the state’s mandatory mask mandate for K-12 students Monday afternoon hours after it was questioned during the Mohave County Board of Supervisors meeting. Dist. 1 Supervisor Travis Lingenfelter said it makes no sense to allow restaurants and businesses to decide their mask policy for the entirety of the general public while forcing less vulnerable students to wear face cover in school.

“There’s a lot of parents out there in Mohave County that are very frustrated currently with the fact that their kids are being masked up all day long, even during P.E., when they’re at school,” Lingenfelter said. “I don’t think that’s right.”

Dist. 5 Supervisor Ron Gould joked about his household defiance of the Governor’s edict. “I just want to let you know that the sole student at the Gould homeschool is not masking and is ignoring the Governor’s mandate,” Gould said.

Gov. Ducey Monday afternoon said his decision to lift the school mask requirement aligns with the latest guidance from the Center for Disease Control and current coronavirus circumstance.

“Nearly 2-million Arizonans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with many teachers and school faculty now fully vaccinated after being some of the first in line for vaccine prioritization,” the Gov. said in a news release. “Teachers, families and students have acted responsibly to mitigate the spread of the virus and protect one another, and our school leaders are ready to decide if masks should be required on their campuses. We will continue to work with public health professionals and Arizona’s schools as more students return to the classroom and our stat moves forward.”

Mohave County Department of Public Health Director Denise Burley told supervisors that COVID-19 cases involving children have declined considerably since early this year. She said there were only 4 deaths and 98 new cases in Mohave County last week and that impacts on area hospitals has improved dramatically.

The board approved Gould’s motion to reopen county senior centers by May 7.

Dave Hawkins