Small California school district reinstates indoor masking

PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (AP) — A small California school district began requiring indoor masking again Tuesday due to rising cases of COVID-19.

Pacific Grove Unified School District at the south end of Monterey Bay announced the requirement Monday after the Monterey County Health Department reported a seven-day average test positivity rate of 5.2% and a seven-day average of 12.4 cases per 100,000 residents.

Last month, the district’s board set thresholds for indoor masking when the test positivity rate exceeded 5% and the case rate surpassed 10 per 100,000 residents.

The district serves a population of about 2,050 K-12 students in five schools. Its adult school serves about 2,500 students, according to the district website.