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Mask mandate in schools should continue past Sept. 30, Lamont says

The governor's executive powers because of the state of emergency are set to expire at the end of the month.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Editor's Note: The video above is from Sept. 3 2021.

The mask mandate for schools across Connecticut is set to expire on September 30, when the governor’s executive powers end.

However, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday that he believes that the executive order should continue past the expiration date to ensure students and teachers are protected.

“None of our kids 12 and under are vaccinated,” he said during an unrelated event in Hartford. “That’s no difference school district by school district. I think that’s why it was important we have a mandate to keep kids safe and keep kids in school. Look what’s going on in Georgia, they’re not in the classroom, they’re quarantined.”

RELATED: Education Sec. Cardona talks masks, vaccines during Waterbury school tour in CT homecoming

The governor said the plan is to keep students in the classroom, safely without creating a “parallel universe” where some kids go to school and others are remote.

“I want them in the classroom,” Lamont said.

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As for his emergency powers, the governor said his administration has come up with a list of about 10 executive orders he thinks the legislature should pass after the September 30 deadline.

“At that point, the legislative committee of leaders can come in and they can say, 'absolutely not, I don't think you should have any mask mandate,' they can do whatever they want. I think they're going to vote up and say, 'I think it ought to be continued.' and I think that's the right thing to do,” Lamont said.

RELATED: Survey shows Connecticut educators' top concern is safety amid COVID-19 pandemic

The governor said he hopes to get legislative leaders together to make decisions on the expiring mandates within the next 72 hours. The state of emergency would also have to be extended past the end of the month in order to carry those executive orders over.

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