Gov. Andy Beshear says he believes students will not need to wear masks when they return to school in the fall.
A mask rule currently remains in place for schools as districts wrap up the 2020-2021 school year, but Beshear signaled Monday that he doesn't think that will be the case the next time school is back in session.
"We will watch everything, but right now I think kids will be back in a very normal setting," Beshear said, adding his administration believes there will be opportunities for kids younger than 12 to be vaccinated by the time they go back. "I'm very much looking forward to a full, normal school year for my kids and for everybody else's."
The governor is sounding confident the state can return to normal — or something approaching it — on a number of fronts in the coming weeks. Kentucky is set to roll back all capacity restrictions and masking rules, barring a limited number of locations, on June 11.
Beshear is taking his cues from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which cite new federal studies it says strengthen the case that vaccines are holding up in the real world and against at least two variants known to be circulating in the US.
