COVINGTON, Ky. (WXIX) - Come Friday, Kentucky school districts will no longer be under any form of statewide mask order.

But that doesn’t mean masks are going away in Kentucky’s schools. Far from it.

According to the Associated Press, three-fourths of Kentucky’s 171 school districts are keeping their mandates in place as the state becomes one of the country’s hot spots for the virus.

>> 6 of 10 US counties with highest incident rate of COVID-19 are in Kentucky

The share is higher in Northern Kentucky, where 18 of 22 public school districts have announced they will continue their mask mandates. (Covington Catholic too.)

Three districts do not appear to have announced a policy as of Wednesday evening.

Gallatin County will not require masks indoors.

The full list of districts is provided below with links to the updated policies.

Many of the 18 schools that are leaving the mandates open-ended. Others are continuing them provisionally, with the state’s color-coded incident rate map determining the policies each week.

Mask mandates are recommended in counties labeled ‘red’ and ‘orange’ on the map.

Currently, all Kentucky counties are red but one.

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NKY School Districts

Bellevue Independent Schools: The district “will continue to require masks until incident rates across Northern Kentucky trend in a positive direction and consistently meet defined safety benchmarks.” [Link]
Beechwood Independent Schools: The district “continues to evaluate data and work with other Northern Kentucky school districts and health officials to formalize a long-term plan of action.” [Link]
Boone County Schools: “All employees and students will continue to wear an appropriate face mask in all school buildings and on all school buses.” [Link]
Bracken County Schools: The district will decide its mask policy based on the county’s color-coded incident rate each Thursday at 6 p.m. [Link]
Campbell County Schools: The district will adhere to masking recommendations based on the county’s color-coded incident rate. [Link]
Covington Independent Public Schools: The district will continue to require masks or face coverings for all students and staff while inside of district buildings and on all school and TANK buses. [Link]
Dayton Independent Schools: The district implemented its mask requirement independent of the governor’s or KDE’s mandate and will “continue to make local decisions that we believe are best for our students, staff and community.” [Link]
Erlanger/Elsmere School District: The district will continue to require students, staff and visitors to wear face coverings inside all facilities. [Link]
Fort Thomas Independent Schools: The district will continue to require that all individuals wear a mask regardless of vaccination status while indoors and while being transported by FTIS. [Link]
Grant County Schools: The district will decide its mask policy based on the county’s color-coded incident rate each Thursday. [Link]
Kenton County Schools: The district will continue its mask policy in order to reduce quarantines. [Link]
Mason County Schools: The district will continue its mask policy based on COVID numbers in the region as well as hospital capacity. [Link]
Newport Independent Schools: The Newport Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to continue requiring masks for all students, staff and visitors in the district’s buildings. [Link]
Owen County Schools: The district will continue universal masking in accordance with the CDC’s guidance. [Link]
Pendleton County Schools: The district will decide its mask policy based on the county’s color-coded incident rate each Thursday at 6 p.m. [Link]
Southgate Independent Schools: The district will continue to implement its return-to-school plan including universal masking for students and staff. [Link]
Walton-Verona Independent Schools: Universal masking in the district will continue through fall break. [Link]
Williamstown Independent Schools: The board voted Monday night to continue the district’s universal mask requirement until two weeks after fall break. [Link]