Skip to main content
Tuesday, November 10, 2026Nov 10
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

Mask mandates spread in Georgia schools as child cases soar

In this Aug. 19, 2021 file photo, people in favor of and against a mask mandate for Cobb County schools gather and protest ahead of the school board meeting in Marietta, Ga. Across the country, anti-vaccine and anti-mask demonstrations are taking scary and violent turns, and educators, medical professionals and public figures have been stunned at the level at which they have been vilified for even stating their opinion. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)
In this Aug. 19, 2021 file photo, people in favor of and against a mask mandate for Cobb County schools gather and protest ahead of the school board meeting in Marietta, Ga. Across the country, anti-vaccine and anti-mask demonstrations are taking scary and violent turns, and educators, medical professionals and public figures have been stunned at the level at which they have been vilified for even stating their opinion. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File) In this Aug. 19, 2021 file photo, people in favor of and against a mask mandate for Cobb County schools gather and protest ahead of the school board meeting in Marietta, Ga. Across the country, anti-vaccine and anti-mask demonstrations are taking scary and violent turns, and educators, medical professionals and public figures have been stunned at the level at which they have been vilified for even stating their opinion. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

By JEFF AMY / Associated Press 4 min read

ATLANTA (AP) – More than half of all Georgia public school students are now required to wear masks in class, according to district announcements tracked by The Associated Press, as many school systems that had sought to let students and parents decide on the divisive issue of face coverings clamp down amid roaring COVID-19 infection rates.

At least 56 of Georgia’s 180 traditional school districts are now requiring masks in at least some schools, up from only a handful of districts before class started in August. The rules cover nearly 950,000, or about 55%, of Georgia’s 1.7 million public school students.

The shift began in late July, when Atlanta and Gwinnett County schools joined DeKalb and Clayton counties in saying they would require masks. But many other districts tried to open their doors as mask-optional. Some switched positions within days, while others held out for weeks.

During that time, infections leaped. More than 1% of school-age children in Georgia have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks. Children between the ages of 5 and 17 are now more likely than adults as a whole to test positive for COVID-19. The state Department of Public Health reported more than 30 infection clusters in schools statewide, the highest since the epidemic began.

Georgia’s 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 infections rose to nearly 8,700 on Wednesday, according to state figures. The state is rapidly approaching the peak of more than 9,600 daily infections recorded in early January. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals rose to 5,500 across Georgia on Wednesday, close to the record of roughly 5,700 set in early January. More than 90% of all intensive care beds statewide were also in use.