Teachers and staff at Prince George’s and Montgomery counties’ public schools will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or submit themselves to weekly testing this fall, following similar announcements in D.C. and Virginia earlier this week.

The counties’ schools announced the new rules on Friday along with other COVID-19 guidance for returning to schools in-person this fall. This guidance falls short of a requirement for all teachers and staffers to be vaccinated prior to the start of the school year, but Gboyinde Onijala, a spokesperson for Montgomery County Public Schools, told DCist/WAMU that the decision was to make sure they were responding to the needs of the entire school staff.

“I think the key is understanding where our employees are in terms of those who have already over the last several months made the effort to get the vaccination, and those who maybe for religious reasons or other medical-related reasons are unable to get vaccinated,” Onijala said.

At least 70% of MCPS’s 24,000 employees are fully vaccinated through the county’s department of health, according to the school system. But Jennifer Martin, president of the county’s teachers’ union, says that number is probably closer to 90%.

Martin told DCist/WAMU that the teachers’ union agrees with the rules, and said teachers face a mixture of relief and anxiety returning to the classroom this fall.

“We know that kids learn so much better in-person and we can do our job so much better in- person… it’s been very difficult to shift to complete online learning and then to the hybrid model,” Martin said. “There’s still anxiety because this new variant of the virus causes us to question how safe we really are.”

In Prince George’s County Public Schools approximately 60% of its 20,000 employees are fully vaccinated.

The guidance in both school systems also requires all students, teachers, and staff to wear a face covering while in school and on buses. Adam Zimmerman, a father of two MCPS students from Beall Elementary School in Rockville, said he was relieved to hear the news.

“It’s a huge step forward. I think when it comes to keeping our kids and teachers healthy and… keeping our schools open this year we can’t leave anything on the table,” Zimmerman told DCist/WAMU. “I’m relieved to live in an area where our leaders follow public health and not politics when it comes to COVID-19.”

Transmission of the Delta variant has increased in the past few weeks across the region. Areas of the region with low vaccination rates face an increased number of cases, especially with unvaccinated populations. Prince George’s and Montgomery have reimplemented a mask mandate for indoor activities regardless of vaccination status.

Monica Goldson, the CEO of Prince George’s County Public Schools, said in a statement that the rise of the Delta variant was a concern to protect students, staff, and teachers as they return back to school this fall.

“Science and data have shown vaccination to be the best defense against COVID-19. We are excited to welcome our students back to in-person learning and will continue to pursue all available safety precautions,” she said.

PGCPS employees are required to show proof of full vaccination by Aug. 27. The first day of school is Sept. 8. MCPS is still figuring out the deadline for employees to submit proof of vaccination; their first day is Aug. 30.

In Montgomery County virus transmission levels remain substantial, with approximately 78 cases per 100,000 people in the past week. Hospitalizations in the county remain low, with less than 4% of the county’s hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile, Prince George’s County, like the District, is experiencing high transmission levels with 974 cases in the first week of August — a seven-fold increase from the first week of July. According to county health data, hospitalizations have also increased by 73% in the past week with an average of 52 people hospitalized weekly, up from an average of 12 in early July. Still, this remains well below the surges experienced in spring 2020 and Jan. 2021, when average weekly hospitalizations surpassed 200.

Around 64% of Montgomery County residents and 54% of Prince George’s County residents are fully vaccinated, according to the counties’ health data. Both counties have been holding clinics for anyone 12 years and older to get vaccinated. Some schools in Prince George’s County have opened their doors for clinics for students and young adults.