The Missouri State Medical Association (MSMA) supports the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding the effectiveness of masks to reduce transmission of the COVID virus.

A press release says MSMA agrees with the recommendations of the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommending a thoughtful community-based approach to safe reopening for in-school learning. Both the CDC and AAP advise that local school districts should monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on prevention strategies.

These strategies note that due to the circulating and highly contagious Delta variant, the AAP and CDC recommend universal indoor masking by all students two years old and older, staff, teachers and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status (unless there is a contra-indication). MSMA is in full support of these recommendations for the safety of the children and staff in our communities.

MSMA President Alex Hover, M.D., says- “We believe that by allowing local school districts to follow CDC mask guidelines as they respond to local COVID data, communities will be better able to protect children as school begins.”

MSMA, the state’s largest professional association of physicians, residents and medical students, is dedicated to the protection of public health and betterment of the medical profession in Missouri.