Students, teachers no longer have to wear masks at schools

Students at Beijing Wuyi Primary School show off their art homework in class on Feb 13, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Students and teachers are no longer required to wear masks on campuses, the latest COVID-19 epidemic control plans for schools and universities said on Monday.

Jointly issued by the Ministry of Education, National Health Commission and the National Administration of Disease Prevention and Control, the plans also said students and teachers can choose to wear masks based on their health conditions.

Medical workers, canteen staff members, dormitory superintendents, deliverymen, security personnel and janitors still need to wear surgical masks. If an outbreak occurs, teachers, students and workers should resume wearing masks, the plans said.

If a COVID-19 patient is discovered at a school, students in the same class, their teachers and staff members who have had close contact should wear masks for five days and monitor their health, according to the plans.