ATLANTA - Fulton County School System has expanded its mask mandate to include all schools.
The decision follows new data revealing all cities within the district are now reporting more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents.
County health officials said that means there is a high community spread in those areas.
Just six days earlier, the district only issues mandates for 26 elementary, middle, and high schools based on the fact that 13 of the 14 cities in the county exceed the level of COVID-19 rates that public health officials consider "high community spread."
SEE ALSO: 'Talk to your doctor': Kemp urges Georgians to strongly consider getting vaccinated
This browser does not support the Video element.
Delta variant surge complicating return to the office plan
As Georgia experiences the fourth wave of COVID-19, many companies are delaying in person returns to the workplace and grappling with how to handle unvaccinated employees.
The mandate also extends to school buses.
The more virulent Delta variant now accounts for about 90% of new cases across the state, according to health officials.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the two-week average of new COVID-19 positive PCR tests has risen to 3,272, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The GDPH data also shows for the second day in a row, the combined positive PCR and antigen tests have inched higher, hovering just below 7,000, a number not seen since the end of January. The seven-day average is now above 5,536.
Vaccinations in Georgia this week surpassed 9 million doses with 46.5% of those 12 and older who can receive the vaccine is fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number lags behind the national average of 58.8%.
WATCH: FOX 5 Atlanta live news coverage
This browser does not support the Video element.
_____
Sign up for FOX 5 email alerts
Download the FOX 5 Atlanta app for breaking news and weather alerts.