Minneapolis, St. Paul schools keep mask mandates as CDC loosens guidelines

The Minneapolis and St. Paul public school districts have not dropped their mask mandates, even with CDC loosening guidelines.

Why it matters: It's a divisive issue, with some parents happy with mandates and some saying the masks can't come off soon enough.

Driving the news: The CDC's new guidance says people living in counties with low or medium levels of COVID can stop wearing masks if they want.

• Ramsey County falls into the low category and Hennepin is in medium.

What's happening: Many of the school districts that had mask mandates have dropped them recently, including Wayzata and Eden Prairie, while Anoka-Hennepin and Osseo have moved to school-by-school policies.

• The Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district voted to remove its mask mandate Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, the St. Paul Board of Education will review its policy at one of its meetings this month, said spokesperson Kevin Burns. The board meets on March 8 and March 22.

• MPS spokesperson Crystina Lugo-Beach said the district is meeting with its regional COVID support team to implement a transition plan.

Zoom out: As of this morning, 43% of the 500 largest districts in the U.S. were still requiring masks, according to school tracking site Burbio.