The groups Let Them Breathe and Reopen California Schools announced on July 22 that they have\u00a0filed a lawsuit against\u00a0Newsom<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0the state\u2019s top health officials over the\u00a0mask mandate in public schools.<\/p>\n The lawsuit says that the statewide mandate requiring schoolchildren to wear masks regardless of their vaccination status will harm the \u201cmental and physical health\u201d of children, particularly after a year of isolation and distance learning.<\/p>\n It names\u00a0Newsom, Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly, Public Health Director Tom\u00e1s Arag\u00f3n of the Department of Public Health, and Dr. Naomi Bardach of Safe Schools for All as defendants.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s clear that [the health department] has chosen to ignore the overwhelming evidence that show children are at a very low risk from being infected with COVID-19, transmitting it to others, or becoming seriously ill from COVID-19,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Reopen California Schools founder Jonathan Zachreson of Roseville said in a statement\u00a0to\u00a0The Sacramento Bee<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA return to a normal school year is crucial to the mental and physical health recovery for students across California who have endured months of isolation and a majority of who spent last school year entirely in distance learning.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks during a news conference at Universal Studios in Universal City, Calif., on June 15, 2021. (Ringo H.W. Chiu\/AP Photo)<\/em><\/p>\n Earlier this month, the Department of Public Health (CDPH)\u00a0issued guidance<\/a>\u00a0requiring that K-12 California schools mandate mask wearing for students.<\/strong><\/p>\n That was in contrast to recommendations from the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>\u00a0(CDC), which on July 9 issued guidance stating that\u00a0vaccinated students could remain unmasked during in-person classes.<\/p>\n The groups\u2019 lawsuit calls the state mandate arbitrary, not based on scientific evidence, and harmful to students, according to\u00a0The Sacramento Bee.<\/p>\n \u201cCDPH states that despite CDC recommendations, they will require masks for all students in order to treat them the same,\u201d Let Them Breathe founder Sharon McKeeman said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course it\u2019s true that all children deserve equity and should not be singled out based on vaccination status. However, this should be accomplished by allowing all children to unmask and share their smiles.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Their lawsuit comes as California experiences a spike in new COVID-19\u00a0infections,\u00a0the disease caused by the\u00a0CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus<\/a>.<\/p>\n Just over a month ago, the state removed most of its\u00a0virus safety restrictions and currently, people\u00a0can take off their masks when outdoors.<\/strong><\/p>\n But\u00a0hospitalization numbers have increased by 58 percent since relaxing restrictions, according to\u00a0New York Times data,<\/a>\u00a0prompting some counties to reinstate mask mandates and push for more vaccinations.<\/p>\n Experts blame the highly contagious Delta variant for a new increase in cases.<\/p>\n The delta variant makes up 83 percent of sequenced samples in the United States, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said\u00a0in a Senate committee hearing on\u00a0Tuesday.<\/p>\n Walensky added that this was a\u00a0\u201cdramatic increase, up from 50% for the week of July 3.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The Epoch Times has contacted\u00a0Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s office for\u00a0comment.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/school-mask-mandate-2-700x420.jpg?itok=axdxNKIz\")
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