This is not a political issue, it's a public health issue. There's increasing research every day from reputable sources indicating that wearing face coverings in public reduces the R0 (transmission) factor for the novel coronavirus, and it works most effectively when most people are wearing masks. I think from the comments here it's evident that without the governor's mask requirement for public spaces in place, not enough people would make the choice to wear them, which is why I believe strongly that the state should continue to require them. While I think it would be lovely if people would just care enough about their communities to be responsible and wear them without a state mandate, it seems too many Virginians would be willing to risk their neighbors' health in favor of their political opinions or personal comfort level. So please—keep the mandate in place to protect all Virginians, in the interest of public health. 

On the subject of schools reopening: I have three children, all of them public school students in Virginia, and many friends who are teachers and school administrators. Again, their health and safety should outweigh convenience in this discussion. A mask requirement for everyone in the building including students, daily health screenings, a modified or hybrid schedule that allows for CDC guidelines for distancing to be followed, and rigorous cleaning protocols in between groups of students entering the building are necessary action plans for reopening our schools. My children miss being in school. They miss their friends and their teachers. Working at home on the computer is frustrating. But I can't support kids and teachers returning to an unsafe environment. Please make the investment and plans required to educate our children safely until there's a vaccine or treatment for this illness. To me, that includes both lowering the number of students in the buildings each day and following the CDC recommendations for masks and distancing, and providing a way for teachers to deliver actual instruction online. If the students who are at home for the day or the week as part of a hybrid online/in-person schedule are able to tune in through the computer and get the same instruction and information as their in-class counterparts, we can have a safe school environment where the curriculum is delivered appropriately. Local school systems are already working to address high speed internet access issues for those who need it, but they will need financial support from the state and hard guidelines for public health concerns. I encourage the VDOE and Dr. Lane to mandate the health and safety protocols instead of merely suggesting them, because some local boards, even in the system Dr. Lane used to run, seem to have members who think it's okay to ignore the guidelines. Forcing some parents to keep their children home every day because the school system bends to the will of people who want to disregard public health guidelines and open unrestricted will do a disservice to families who want to be socially responsible in this unprecedented time. 

Please, make the responsible choice and mandate public health protections regarding schools and other public spaces, because without mandates in place, all the work Virginia has done to reduce the spread of Covid-19 will have been for nothing.