Photo by: Charlotte May (pexals.com)
By Sadia Choudhury
Yep, what you heard is true. The New York City mask mandate is being lifted as of March 7th, 2022, as confirmed by our Mayor Eric Adams. This is a profound step towards starting to live the life we once had, and going back to our usual efficient routines. Although masks will no longer be mandatory, it is not required for any student or teacher to stop wearing their masks, although the choice can make them feel uncomfortable. Children over five are not obligated to wear masks, although ages lower than five still need to wear them due to the vaccination not being available for ages five and below.
Along with the positives of the mask not being part of our lives anymore, there can be some worries that come along with it such as wondering if it will trigger another lockdown, and how a return to online learning would affect our academic grades. These concerns are reasonable, but obviously if the cases again start to rise exponentially, the masks will come back and the city will take extra precautions to make sure every resident in this city is safe. However for now it will be optional for students and teachers to wear their masks.
As Mayor Adams has stated, “It’s imperative we know this battle is still on.” (NBC New York.com). To prove his point, one of the safety measures that this city continues to take are hundreds of tests. NBC New York comments that “Almost 90,000 students and staff are being randomly tested each week under the city’s COVID safety plan—and more than 20 million rapid tests have been distributed to kids to take home.”
Ditching the masks will bring joy to many people, but sanitation rules will still apply just like last time, where keeping hands and shared surfaces clean was the ultimate key to everyone’s safety. Sanitizing the desk, washing your hands, maintaining social distance, etc., is still important to everyone who wants to reduce cases of Covid in all it’s mutated strains. Additionally, we should be ready for anything that may change, since the new “mask optional” mandate may or may not be in place for long.
To continue having positive outcomes, we should proceed with caution. But stay optimistic. Perhaps as 2022 continues, we will see the city completely return to what it once was.
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