Orange County schools 'strongly encouraging' face masks for students, staff

Masks mandatory for adults in Orange County Public Schools in January

Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Jenkins said on Monday that all adults inside schools will be required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, through the month of January.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - UPDATE: Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Jenkins said on Monday that all adults inside schools will be required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, through the month of January. Read details here.

EARLIER: As the omicron variant continues to spread, Orange County school officials are 'strongly encouraging' the use of face masks for students and staff returning to campus following the holiday break.

"We are strongly encouraging our employees to wear a face mask for their protection and the protection of others as the latest COVID-19 variant is proving to be highly contagious even for vaccinated individuals," Orange County Public Schools said in a statement to parents. "There is no requirement for students, but face masks can add another layer of protection for all. Therefore, due to the highly contagious nature of the Omicron variant, we strongly encourage you to consider face masks for your students at this time."

Officials are reminding parents to keep their kids home if they are sick or symptomatic. Orange County students return to class on Tuesday.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, single-layer cloth masks may not provide adequate protection against the very infectious omicron variant of COVID-19.

Many infectious disease experts noted people prefer cloth masks because they are more comfortable and fashionable to wear, but these masks can only block larger droplets of COVID-19, not smaller aerosols or particles that can also carry the virus.

Florida reported 75,962 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, which breaks previous records for new, single-day cases documented in the state. It breaks the record set a day earlier when more than 58,000 cases were reported in the state.

Florida has seen a major increase in COVID-19 cases this month, at least in part because of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus. But while hospitalization numbers have increased, they remain far below the totals this summer.