N.J. provides mask guidance for schools, child care with mandate ending soon. Here are the details.

After New Jersey’s statewide COVID-19 mandate for masks inside of schools and child care facilities ends March 7, the state will still recommend face coverings in some situations — including a sudden spike in local cases — under more detailed guidance provided by health officials Wednesday.

Those decisions will still remain entirely in the hands of local districts and childcare facilities. The guidance provided by the state Department of Health is intended to help shape those local policies, officials said.

“With this guidance, we have every confidence in our schools, working together again with their own medical personnel and local health officials, to maintain safe environments for learning,” Gov. Phil Murphy said during his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.

Murphy cited New Jersey’s steady decline in cases, hospitalizations, and transmission rates as well as increased vaccination numbers as reasons for dropping the mask mandate. Face coverings are still required on buses due to federal transportation regulations.

“We encourage school districts and childcare centers to consult with their local health departments and school nurses in determining whether a universal masking police is appropriate,” state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Wednesday. “While masks will not be required by the state as of March 7, they remain an important part of a layered approach against COVID-19 and are recommended in certain circumstances.”

Persichilli cited the other layers as physical distancing, health screenings, contact tracing, excluding infected students and staff, and ventilation systems.

“Staff and parents need to make masking decisions based on their specific situations,” she said.

Persichilli listed multiple scenarios when local mask requirements are recommended in schools and childcare including:

For schools that choose not to institute a universal masking policy, the health department recommends schools require masks in the following instances: