Should OHS enforce masks
It is worth considering the mask policy
December 14, 2021
On March 11, 2020 COVID-19 was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Masks became an everyday solution to fight against the spread of the virus, but it also helped fight against other major spread viruses, like the flu. The question since then passing through everyone’s head has seemed to be, “When will this long pandemic end and will life feel like it used to?
While COVID 19 has had terrible consequences, it has also brought some new ideas and solutions for previous issues. According to a study done at Harvard University the number of logged in flu cases during the time period of Sept. 2020 to Jan. 2021 were 1,316. A year prior to that time period the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also known as (CDC) reported 130,000 cases of the flu. This made masks worn in the effort to stop COVID-19 conventionally eradicating flu season for that year. ”
Should mask be enforced during December and January Sorry, there was an error loading this poll.
To be clear, the current OHS mask policy is that masks are recommended but not enforced. This does not seem to be changing. Social distance rules have become more lenient at the OHS allowing students to gather closer together, allowing them to sit more people at lunch without restriction and not enforcing social distancing. The OHS has taken precautions to keep spread of COVID-19 cases, these being emailing potential close contacts and quarantining students who test positive. While these are safety measures taken against the virus the OHS will not be going back to last year’s strict restrictions and policies.
With this in mind, it leaves the daunting question of if masks should be worn in the OHS and enforced in order to combat this year’s flu season and any other viruses. While this might be beneficial in the long run students have been left with mixed thoughts and reactions with the dilemma presented at hand. Sophomore Ben Buytaert said,
OHS has been a place where students can have an opinion on a subject freely, but the school has taken measures against some students’ opinions for the better and the good of the whole school. Sophomore Oran Dowling said,“I think the difference is quite big when it comes to flu cases and if a school bug is going around wearing a mask for a short period of time could be an easy solution to stopping the bug.”
While there are many pros for wearing masks during flu season or any other virus outbreak in the school. Students have for the past two years have looked forward to being able to go back to a time where masks are a thing of the past. This, however, might be one of many new implemented long lasting things and ideas COVID-19 has brought, and masks might become one way to solve previous virus outbreaks OHS has had in the past. It is still a student’s choice to decide to wear a mask or not to wear a mask.
