Is This the Last Semester of Masks in Schools?

Even with another surge, it might be

On Monday afternoon, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will announce that next month, his state will no longer require students and staff to wear masks during school. New Jersey has been one more of the more stringent states when it comes to pandemic restrictions, in large part because of how hard the state was hit in March and April 2020, so the fact that Murphy has moved to lift the mask requirements is considered a big deal. Last month, Pennsylvania’s governor let mask requirements in school expire, and governors in New York and Connecticut have said they’re considering similar moves.

As Dr. Scott Gottlieb, one of the saner, more calming voices during the pandemic noted on “Face the Nation” on Sunday, you should expect this just about everywhere soon.

There are many places, of course, where all this will seem a bit silly. After all, most states do not, in fact, have a mask requirement, including here in Georgia, where I live. Many of the communities surrounding my town of Athens have never…