Pennsylvania Orders Masks on School Children

A student wears a facemask as she enters the St. Lawrence Catholic School on the first day of school after summer vacation in north of Miami, on Aug. 18, 2021. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

After weeks of debate over schoolchildren wearing masks as a COVID-19 mitigation measure, Pennsylvania’s acting Health Secretary Alison Beam has issued an order requiring masks to be worn inside K-12 school buildings, early learning programs, and childcare providers.

The order, announced Tuesday, takes effect Sept. 7 and applies to everyone in education buildings, vaccinated or not.