SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Masks are now optional for several Central Florida public school districts, and more will be joining that list soon.​

What You Need To Know

  • Seminole County will drop its school mask requirement Nov. 1

  • Marion County halted its school face-covering policy as of Friday

  • Brevard County is now allowing parents to opt out of its mask policy

  • School districts are easing policies as COVID cases and positivity rates decline

Declining COVID-19 case numbers prompted the changes, officials with some local school districts said.

Starting Friday, Nov. 1, Seminole County will end its requirement for a face covering, with a parental opt-out option. On that date, students, employees, vendors, and contractors can come to the county’s public schools mask-free.

Seminole is not the only school district to make that decision recently.

Marion County schools announced Friday that masks are now optional for all students, visitors, staff members and volunteers.

Brevard County will go back to a mask policy that allows a parental opt-out.

All of these school districts attributed their decisions to lower COVID case counts and local positivity rates.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the seven-day average for total cases in Florida is 2,100. A month ago, it was 9,000.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said vaccinating young children will be the next step toward continuing the downward trend in cases.

He said he hopes, once approved for 5- to 11-year-olds, the rollout strategy will help parents with hesitancy overcome their concerns and take their kids to get vaccinated against the virus.

“We’re reaching out to them and making the vaccine readily available in pediatric offices, in children’s hospitals, in community centers,” Fauci said.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is scheduled to meet in the coming week to review Pfizer’s request for emergency-use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year olds.