Maryland elementary school is bringing back MASKS for kids as it forces third graders to re-don N-95 face masks after a spate of students tested positive for COVID-19

A Washington DC elementary school has sparked outrage after reinstating pandemic-era mask requirements, despite only a handful of schoolchildren testing positive for Covid-19.

In a letter to parents on Tuesday, Principal at Rosemary Hills Elementary School in Maryland, Rebecca Irwin Kennedy, said she took the step after “three or more people” tested positive in the past 10 days.

She called for students to wear thick N95 masks to “keep our school environment as safe as possible” even though a recent study found the tight-fitting mask could expose users to dangerous levels of toxic chemicals.

And while even the embattled medical guru Dr. Anthony Fauci admits there is no evidence masks stop the spread of Covid, Kennedy told parents the N95s won’t be optional until 10 days.

The letter caused widespread outrage from those who see the decision as a slippery path back to Covid lockdowns. Donald Trump Jr. posted on X: “DON’T FILL UP!!!”

Principal Rebecca Irwin Kennedy (pictured) reintroduced masks to school children after just a few positive cases, although studies suggested they could be harmful

Rosemary Hills Elementary School said the decision was made “to keep our school environment as safe as possible.”

The letter sparked outrage as many feared reintroducing mask requirements in schools was a dangerous route to returning Covid-era restrictions

The letter was reportedly sent to the parents of students in one class at the school, informing them that their children will again be forced to wear masks so they can continue teaching in person.

Kennedy wrote that additional N95 masks have already been distributed to students and staff, who must wear them for 10 days before becoming “optional.”

She added that the school is sending out rapid tests for the kids to take home, along with CDC advice on how often parents should test their children after exposure.

“If at any time within the next 10 days your child develops COVID-19-like symptoms such as fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, or other COVID-19 indicators, they should stay away from school and get tested,” the Der said letter continues.

“Consider contacting a doctor if symptoms are severe or not improving, or if your child is at higher risk for complications from COVID-19 infection.”

The Montgomery County Public Schools System (MCPS), Kennedy and her assistant principal, Cassandra Scott, did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.

MCPS lifted its mask requirement in March 2022, and Maryland has not implemented a statewide mask requirement as cases surge across the country.

Donald Trump Jr. criticized the move and urged people not to abide by the new Covid rules

Studies suggest that N95 masks can expose people to toxic chemicals. Pictured: California Gov. Gavin Newsom escorts masked schoolchildren into a classroom in August 2021

Experts insist the recent spike in Covid cases isn’t worth overreacting after the US saw a spike in hospitalizations due to the virus for the first time this year.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed 8,000 patients were hospitalized nationwide in the last week of August, a 12 percent increase compared to the previous seven-day period and the first weekly increase since December.

Despite the rise, interest rates remain at historic lows. For comparison, at the peak of the pandemic in January 2021, there were 150,000 Covid admissions per week, and earlier in the year hospital admissions even reached 44,000 per week.

Experts attribute the surge to the natural decline in immunity that occurs about six months after the previous wave of infections.

The decision to return to wearing masks in Maryland also comes despite experts warning that the highly contagious virus, like the common cold, is likely to be a permanent part of everyday life.

“One thing Americans need to understand is that SARS-CoV-2 and its variants will never go away,” said Dr. Brett Osborn, a board-certified neurosurgeon in West Palm Beach, Florida Fox News Digital.

“It’s here to stay because its mutation rate is high, just like the flu.”

The map above shows the percentage positivity of Covid tests by US region in the week ending August 26. Percent positivity is highest in the region, which includes New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, where it is 20 percent or more

The maps above show the percentage of deaths from Covid by state in the week ending August 26

It is estimated that around 96 percent of Americans have built up some immunity to Covid thanks to previous infections and vaccinations.

High immunity suggests the country will be much better at fighting new waves of infection than it was at the peak of the pandemic, with the CDC noting that the number of deaths has fallen to record lows as authorities downplay the surge.

dr Brendan Jackson, a Covid incident manager at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, said: “If you imagine the fall in cases looking like a ski slope – downhill, downhill, downhill in the last six months – then that’s just who we are.” Below you can see something like a small ski jump.’

A CDC spokeswoman added: “Covid rates in the US are still near historic lows after seven months of steady decline.”

“Leading indicators of Covid activity (emergency room visits, test positivity and effluent levels) preceded an increase in hospital admissions over the past week.”

Despite promising advice from medical officials, New Yorkers have also been advised to wear masks at their Labor Day celebrations amid fears of the return of Covid. A spokesman for the New York City Health Department told DailyMail.com that wearing a mask could be a “good idea”. ‘

The number of Covid hospitalizations in the US has now risen for the second week in a row. This could be due to declining immunity

The graph above shows the recorded US Covid deaths per 100,000 people. These have not started to rise and remain at record lows

Concerns about the reintroduction of mask requirements have sent some particularly insane because Covid czar Dr. Anthony Fauci has obviously made a U-turn on this matter.

Back in April 2020, he told anxious Americans, “If everyone does this, we protect each other. Because it’s data, it’s more efficient to prevent it from being transmitted to others than it is to prevent it from being transmitted to yourself.”

The guidelines, led by Fauci, required people to wear masks in schools, public transportation, restaurants and the workplace.

But in a recent interview with CNNHe pointed out the importance of masking up.

“When you talk about the impact on the epidemic or the pandemic as a whole, the data is less telling.”

“But there are also other studies that show that they may be protective at an individual level for the individual.”

The former health chief was responding to questions about a study by Tom Jefferson, a senior tutor at Oxford University, whose research concluded that “there is simply no evidence that they – masks – make a difference.”

‘Point.’