Up to schools to decide if face masks are compulsory or not – Welsh Government

It will be up to schools and councils to decide whether or not face masks should be made compulsory in schools, Welsh Government has announced.

Teaching at schools in Wales is set to resume on September 1 following the summer holidays.

A Welsh Government statement, released on Wednesday (August 26), said: “We are advised that while face coverings are likely to be of little value in children under the age of 11 years, the rates of infection and transmission increase from the age of 11 onwards and could have a role in risk mitigation.

“The current advice from the chief medical officer for Wales [Dr Frank Atherton] is that face coverings are recommended for all members of the public over 11 years in indoor settings in which social distancing cannot be maintained, including schools and school transport.”

However, ministers stopped short at making masks compulsory in schools for pupils aged 11 and older, teachers and other members of staff.

Instead, Welsh Government has said it will require local authorities, schools and colleges to carry out risk assessments to determine whether or not masks should be compulsory in communal areas and on school transport.

The statement added: “Social distancing is still required in the classroom, so face-to-face teaching without coverings can continue.”

Welsh Government also said the guidance will “remain under review as the pandemic continues and may change if community prevalence changes across Wales in the future”.

Laura Doel, director of the teaching union NAHT Cymru, said: “It is unacceptable that school leaders are expected to shoulder the responsibility of deciding if face coverings are required in schools. 

“Headteachers are not medical experts and the Welsh Government should not put them in this position.”

She added: “If the government leaves this decision-making to individual schools or local authorities, we will once again we will see a mixed economy across Wales, with different schools having different measures in place which will be unsettling and potentially unsafe for pupils, parents and staff alike.”

According to figures released by Public Health Wales, there was one coronavirus-related death recorded in Wales on Tuesday (August 25). Wales’ confirmed Covid-19 death toll currently stands at 1,594.

Thirty-four new cases of the virus have also been recorded in the country, meaning there has been a total of 17,808 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales.