Senator Michael Testa (R-1) said Governor Phil Murphy should lift his school mask mandate today, not a month from now:

Sen. Michael Testa said Gov. Phil Murphy should lift his school mask mandate today, not a month from now. (©iStock)

“While this is welcome news for students and their parents, I question the timing of the announcement by the Governor. Why isn’t the school mask mandate ending today?

“The answer is simple, this decision is guided by political science. If this was truly guided by ‘the science’, this arbitrary mandate would have been lifted 23 months ago, and the Governor knows that.

“I have been calling for an end to school mask mandates since last summer and the science that we had at that time supported my call.

“For anyone who takes the Governor at his word, we must remember that when restaurants were ready to fully open on July 4, 2020, the Governor abruptly retreated on his promise to re-open the state and not go backward. This mistake cost small businesses and their families millions in investments. How can we be so sure that he won’t flop on ending the school mask mandate once the furor dies down?

“Bottom line, let’s unmask our kids, TODAY, and #GiveItBack.”