Weber-Morgan Health Department won’t impose school mask mandates

MORGAN, Utah– The Weber-Morgan Board of Health voted Monday to consult with local county elected officials before imposing mask mandates on schools. In the same meeting, it was heard from a health department official who told them cases of COVID-19 are growing among school-age children.

“We’re seeing substantially higher case counts among our school-age children right now than we saw compared to the beginning of the school year last year,” epidemiological nurse Amy Carter told KSL NewsRadio.

She also says vaccination rates are also much lower among teenagers, the youngest group eligible to receive vaccines, compared to older adults.

“As we go down in each younger age group, the number gets smaller and smaller until you get to that youngest age group currently eligible for vaccines, the 12 to 18-year-olds, only seeing about 48% of those individuals having at least one dose,” she said.

Dozens of people attended the hearing and many of them argued against mask mandates. Some held up signs opposing a mask requirement.

In the end, the board chose not to impose a mask mandate immediately, though they’re looking carefully at what Summit County has done.

It’s planning to require masks in schools if the number of COVID infections among students reaches a 2% threshold.