How the New Mask Mandate Could Reverse Our Progress
As of November 1st, Broward County high school students are no longer required to wear a mask. Although they are not mandatory, they remain strongly encouraged despite vaccination status. This new mandate is one push back to square one.
Due to the number of new COVID-19 cases falling by 7.4% during October, the pandemic is viewed as less severe than it previously was.
Safety measures such as receiving a COVID-19 vaccination, social distancing, and wearing a mask helped lower the number of cases. Giving people the option not to wear a mask would harm the progress made.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states unvaccinated individuals were 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 and 12 times more likely to be hospitalized than fully vaccinated individuals. If students choose not to wear masks while attending classes, they should be fully vaccinated at the very least to keep themselves and their peers safe.
Masks are known to cut the risk percentage by 65 percent. Research done by Dean Blumberg, chief of
Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, shows that the younger someone is, the
less they will fatally be affected by COVID-19. Although this may be true, it is apparent that younger
individuals can still be impacted by the virus and can become long haulers to its effects.
Only high school students have the option to remove their masks during the school day, making
students under 14 years old required to wear their masks. Even with the mask mandate lifted, it is still
heavily encouraged and not entirely disregarded by Broward County officials.
While nobody can force students to wear a mask, unvaccinated individuals who refuse to wear a mask
contribute to a step backward for the country. Vaccines and face masks may cause harmful health
reactions depending on the individual, which could be seen as the single exception.
Our society is remarkably close to leaving this two-year pandemic behind and making it nothing but
history to look back on and learn from. However, some unknowing students may become numbers for
these statistics.
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