Youngkin faces new lawsuit as Virginia mask order kicks in

By SARAH RANKIN and MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is facing a new legal challenge over his executive action that aimed to let parents opt out of school mask mandates. Youngkin issued the order as one of his first acts after being sworn in as governor. It kicks in Monday, but confusion has swirled over its implications. Some districts have interpreted the order as being at odds with a state law that deals with COVID-19 mitigation in schools and have opted to keep pre-existing mask mandates in place for students. On Monday, some students reporting to class ignored local mandates and went maskless. But there were no reports of major issues or violent confrontations.