Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer; Quentin Messer Jr., CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.; and Houghton City Manager Eric Waara walk along the Houghton waterfront during a tour of Wednesday, including the site of the city’s future downtown pier and community square.

HOUGHTON — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer does not plan to require masks in schools, but is not taking the option off the table, she said during her visit to Houghton Wednesday.

During a media briefing Wednesday, State Medical Officer Joneigh Khaldun said she had told Whitmer and other state health officials a mask mandate in schools would reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“I do know that my lane is to provide public health guidance, but I recognize there are many other things that have to be considered when it comes to implementing a mandate,” Khaldun said. “We do understand there is a law that would allow us to implement that mandate, but at this time the governor and the (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services) director have not made that determination.”

Khaldun’s recommendations have been consistent for weeks, Whitmer said. The state is not requiring, but is strongly urging, districts to enact mask mandates. That guidance followed similar advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant, Michigan is rated as a high risk of community transmission by the CDC, as are all states but Maine and Vermont. At the county level, Houghton and Ontonagon counties are ranked as a high risk for transmission. Baraga County is at substantial, the second-highest level. Keweenaw County is ranked as low, the only such county in Michigan.

“On the local level, we know that communities are different, and we are hopeful that each of them will abide by and act in accordance with the CDC recommendations,” Whitmer said. “We know that masks work, and we know that kids under 12 can’t get vaccinated yet. So we’re strongly encouraging districts to take that policy.”

So far, local districts have not instituted mask mandates, though boards have said they could revisit the subject if case numbers escalate. Local universities have announced temporary mask requirements for the first few weeks of the school year.

The state legislature recently repealed the 1945 law Whitmer had used as the basis for COVID-19 restrictions for most of 2020 until the state Supreme Court deemed the law unconstitutional. Subsequent restrictions, including bans on indoor dining and some high school winter sports, came through MDHHS under a law enacted in response to the 1918 flu.

Whitmer has not announced large-scale mandates or bans since those restrictions expired. She discussed the change in the situation since the start of the pandemic. Vaccines are widely available, she said, and more is known about the effectiveness of masks. Whitmer said it was important for children to be masked, particularly those under 12, and for the adults around them to get vaccinated. As of Tuesday, 64.8% of state residents 16 and up have gotten at least one dose.

“That’s why I’m really hopeful that districts and parents, teachers, are all engaged on this, because what we want to do is get our kids in class,” she said. “In-person learning is the best way, and after the last year, it’s crucial that we do that. And every one of us has to play a role in being successful at that.”