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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Lifestyle
Melody Schreiber

‘A slap in the face’: uproar in Virginia as governor relaxes school mask rules

Students leave Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington county, one of several school districts that sued to stop Youngkin’s mask-optional order.
Students leave Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington county, one of several school districts that sued to stop Youngkin’s mask-optional order. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Emily Paterson was finally feeling able to relax. Her two sons were now fully vaccinated, and with mask policies in place at their school in northern Virginia she felt safe sending them every day, even as the Omicron variant surged.

Then Virginia’s new governor, Glenn Youngkin, took office on 15 January of this year – and, with his second executive action, he made masks in schools optional.

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