RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said on Wednesday that he would immediately reopen all K-12 public schools without requiring students or teachers to wear masks if he were governor.
The comment came during a Wednesday morning news conference in which the gubernatorial candidate and other top Republicans pushed for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to move to Plan A with fully in-person classes.
“I don’t think so,” Forest said when asked whether he’d mandate masks in schools. “No. I don’t think there’s any science that backs that up. That’s my personal opinion.”
But Dr. Deborah Birx, coronavirus response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, has called for schools to reopen with clear safety guidelines in place that encourage mask wearing and physical distancing.
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