Many Mass. students no longer need to wear masks in school

Massachusetts' mask mandate for K-12 schools lifted on Monday, leaving the decision of whether to require masks to individual school districts. While dozens are no longer requiring masks, some districts, including Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Springfield, said they would keep the policy in place for the time being.  

On Tuesday, state public health officials said children no longer need to wear masks on school buses. 

Also on Tuesday, Boston announced that it will lift its indoor mask mandate for some indoor spaces on March 5. 

Even as the statewide policy was lifted this week, students now face their own individual choices on whether to continue wearing masks, and that transition may not be easy for all of them. Experts said the decision brings a complicated reckoning for some students and the need for adults to patiently navigate the road forward when many are feeling out of patience, my colleague Jenna Russell reported. 

Also on Monday, the governors of California, Washington, and Oregon said Monday that masks would no longer be required in K-12 schools in the coming days, citing declining COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on the West Coast.