Another State Gov. Calls for End to School Mask Mandate

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday called on the Board of Education to lift Maryland’s school mask mandate.

In a letter to Clarence Crawford, the board’s president, Hogan cited falling case numbers and the democratic state’s high vaccine rate for school children.

“A growing number of medical professionals, parents, and bipartisan state officials throughout the nation are calling for an end to school mask requirements,” Hogan wrote, The Hill reports. “In light of dramatic improvements to our health metrics and the widespread availability of vaccines, I am calling on you to take action to rescind this policy.”

The state of Maryland does not have an indoor mask mandate except in schools, but individual county governments can make their own mandates.

Hogan hailed Crawford for focusing on in-person classes and said ending the mask mandate would be an important “move toward normalcy for students and families.”

“We must all learn to live with this virus, not in fear of it,” Hogan wrote.