RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Roy Cooper and the Coronavirus Task Force announced new guidance for North Carolina school districts Wednesday to help protect students and staff as they prepare to return to in-person learning.

Cooper said the current Executive Order requiring masks in schools will expire July 31 and will not be extended. However, to help combat ongoing concerns over the spread of COVID-19 and new Delta variant, the governor and state health officials are issuing new recommendations for the state’s schools.

“The guidance in the toolkit strongly states that schools should require masks indoors for everyone – students and teachers – in kindergarten through 8th grade. It also directs schools to ensure unvaccinated high school students and teachers wear masks indoors,” Cooper said during a news conference Wednesday.

“Schools need to use the additional safety protocols outlined in the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit to continue to protect students and staff as we enter the new school year,” said N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen.

Other guidance from the state health department includes students maintaining a social distance of at least 3 feet during mealtimes, eating outdoors when possible where there is a lower potential for spread and requiring passengers and staff to wear face coverings while on buses, vans and other group transportation as outlined in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Getting our kids back in the classroom for full-time, in-person instruction is critical. And this health guidance will help schools do it safely,” Cooper said.

Cooper stressed the continued need for vaccinations, however, saying it is “the best way to stop the disease from spreading and keep our numbers down.”

“Get vaccinated right now if you haven’t. We are seeing the impact of the very contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 and it’s hitting those who are unvaccinated hard,” Cohen said.

As of Wednesday, NCDHHS data showed 60% of North Carolina’s adult population is at least partially vaccinated.