In a 4-3 vote Tuesday evening, Johnston County school board members decided to require masks in schools.

The board voted to make masks optional two weeks ago, but coronavirus cases continue to climb in the county and around the state. Public health officials say the delta variant, which is more contagious, is fueling the spread of the virus.

The governor and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released guidelines in late July saying schools should require everyone to wear masks indoors, but they left it up to the districts to decide on face mask rules.

Since the state released the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit, each of North Carolina's 115 school districts has been debating their own mask rules.

At least 44 school districts in the state have voted to follow state guidelines to require masks for all students, teachers and staff in K-12 schools, according to reporting by Spectrum News 1. Another 55 school districts in the state voted to make masks optional.

Johnston County's traditional calendar schools are set to start on Aug. 23.