The long-running mask mandate has finally been lifted, for the most part, in California. On Feb. 28 the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a statement in regards to all Californians stating that from March 1 onward, masks are no longer required in most indoor public spaces. Some places where they are still required are in healthcare facilities, public transit instances, airports and emergency shelters. As for a majority of schools, a mask is no longer going to be required in the classroom. Instead, mask use is now a “strong recommendation.”
At its March 15 meeting, the Delta College Board of Trustees was split three to three with one member abstaining, when posed with the mask mandate question. The vote upheld the mask mandate on campus for now.
There’s no doubt that masks do prevent people from getting sick. According to the CDPH, masks will help prevent both you and others from getting Covid-19.
I, too, can confidently say this because throughout the majority of the pandemic, I was masked-up everywhere I went. As a result, I never got Covid, even when others around me did.
With this testimony standing behind masks, it now leaves one question to mind: Is this the safest time to begin to lift the mandate that we all thought would be never-ending?
“I do think right now is a reasonable time to lift the mandate because more people are realizing they need the vaccine and less people are getting sick,” said Delta student, Christian Gonzalez. “It is at a state where it should be optional.”
The Covid-19 vaccine plays a huge role in lifting this mandate. With pretty much every public setting now requiring proof of vaccine and now even the booster, this has assured our peace of mind, our safety, and led to the mask mandate no longer being as strict. It has also been attributed to the decline in covid-positive cases as well as hospitalization in individuals across the state. According to data published by the CDPH on Feb. 28, positive cases have declined by 66 percent and hospitalizations have declined by 48 percent since Feb. 14.
As an in-person student and a restaurant employee surrounded by people all the time, knowing that a majority of the population has taken the safety measures to get vaccinated against Covid and its variants has brought me peace of mind to the fact that masks are no longer required to be worn. It is like a weight being lifted off our shoulders (or should I say, lifted off our faces).
Gonzalez agreed and is anticipating not having to wear a mask in most public settings anymore.
“I am looking forward to not wearing masks since everything is a lot safer and more people have the vaccine so I can assure myself we are all safe,” Gonzalez said.
Other Delta students agree, with the vaccine mandate, masks don’t need to be required anymore, but be more of a recommended option.
Student Sabrina Ochoa believes masks don’t need to be required in small classes anymore because of this.
“Seeing that now everyone needs to be vaccinated to take in-person classes, I really don’t think they are needed for a small class,” said Ochoa. “In college and university, if the class is small I don’t really see the need to continue to wear them. I understand if it’s a big class and there are a lot of people.”
There are some instances, however, where students believe that the masks should continue to be worn.
When it comes to younger students, Ochoa thinks that they’re less considerate when addressing the mask mandate, therefore getting sick and spreading the virus more so than older students.
“I do believe anyone in school under college should keep their masks on in class. I know for the younger generation they are more likely to be exposed at times because they don’t take the mandate seriously,” said Ochoa.
Another instance where the mask should be kept on, according to Gonzalez, would be in settings of large groups of people.
“In large gatherings it should still be required because it will help reduce breathing in more germs from all those people,” said Gonzalez.
Now that masks are a recommendation rather than a requirement in most public spaces, it is still important to take into consideration the people around you. Social distancing is still relevant and should continue to be practiced in public, especially when in a large gathering. It is, however, relieving not having to have a mask glued to our faces everywhere we go anymore. The vaccine adds support to the decision of people choosing not to wear them anymore. Personally, I have no problem hanging around others, with no mask, who are also vaccinated because it provides me with reassurance that they are healthy. However, Covid has still not completely vanished, so we should proceed with caution when attending places with no masks and proceeding through the pandemic.