Up to the student

Masks, mandates, vaccines, quarantining and tests. COVID-19 has taken over the world and has been forced into the everyday lives of Americans. Now that it has been two years since the start of the pandemic and vaccines have been distributed, many ask the question, “Why are we still wearing masks?” 

Masks have become the new “norm” within society. The problem with this is that it sparks a social and political debate that challenges one’s rights and the government’s ability to impose mask mandates on the population. Many who are worried challenge the mandate because they feel that their rights, like freedom of choice and expression, have been stripped away. 

The argument across the country and especially in New Jersey is to unmask students. Parents and students argue that masks can cause anxiety due to the feeling of being trapped and confined behind the mask. Some students struggle in school as it is, but with the addition of the mask, many find school a place they dread to go to. 

This argument, partnered with the fact that children ages 18 and younger have the smallest hospitalization and death rate throughout the entire pandemic, makes a strong case for school administrations, governors and if possible, the president to lift the mask mandate for government buildings like schools. 

I feel that masks should be optional. The use of masks should be determined by the one wearing them. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable taking off their mask, then they can wear it. Furthermore, if someone feels comfortable removing their mask indoors with other people, then they should have the right to. Mandating masks helped at the time, but now the mask mandate is excessive and imposes rules and regulations on the developing student population. 

Students, parents and teachers don’t have to wear masks outside of school. If they want to go to a restaurant, MetLife Stadium or even large stores like the mall or Costco, they don’t have to wear a mask. Why should students, the least medically affected by COVID-19, be required to wear a mask in school? The answer is that they shouldn’t, and students should be united in their ability to choose, mask or no mask.