(Lack of) Mask Mandate
NY Ends Mask Mandate For Schools and Indoor Dining
By Rebekah Gamble, Lifestyle Editor
On Sunday, February 27th, headlines announced New York State would be ending its mask mandate in anticipation of a steady decline in Covid-19 cases. In mid-January alone, there were more than 70,000 people who contracted COVID-19 compared to a mere 2,400 by the end of February. A New York Times article stated, “Ms. Hochul [the New York Gov.] announced on Sunday that a statewide mask mandate for schools would be lifted on Wednesday, leaving mask policy to local school officials after that.” This news has left parents and students confused on what the future of schooling and the pandemic will look like.
The surge in variants, beginning with the Delta variant in March of 2021, sparked enough fear in CUNY leaders that the original vaccine mandate was put in place by the CUNY Chancellor. On July 12th, 2021, it was announced that the Covid-19 vaccine would be required for the following semester’s hybrid and in-person classes. The mandate was later updated on January 6th, 2022. As the Omicron variant raged through New York and most of the country, students were informed that the booster would be required to attend on campus courses.
To begin in-person classes for the Spring 2022 semester students needed to present proof of their second or third shot, or risk having their classes dropped and registration blocked. The start of the semester was to be full of air ventilated classrooms, foodless and contactless cafeterias as only grab and go menu options existed, and masks. Now with the public school mask mandate being lifted, it brings to question what will happen in the CUNY system.
The most recent update included requiring the vaccine shot for online classes, which would make the majority of Fall 2022 enrolled students vaccinated. Yet, with mask policies lightening, students wonder if the vaccine mandate will as well.
Nokuthula Linda, a first semester student at Laguardia Community College and mother to two children in public school, expressed disappointment at the change, “It doesn’t make any sense. Why would they remove masks when masks are the reason why the cases are low? I’m telling my boys to keep their mask on.”
Similar feelings were expressed by senior Exercise Science majors Silma Preldakaj and Efua Anane. Preldakaj said, “As much as I can’t wait for things to return to a degree of normalcy, I feel like the mask mandate being lifted seems a bit rushed.” Anane agreed, “The mask mandate is better because the infection rate is significantly lower, especially in children 5 years old and younger. Why take away the one precaution that is almost proven to work?”
We asked Nicaury Suarez, a John Jay Alumni if the trend of booster shots and the lack of mask mandate would impact her future academic career. She stated “I don’t mind the vaccine mandate but the frequency of the booster shots are worrisome, especially because they might be our new reality. The removal of masks in class worries me due to the lack of ventilation and spacing, we might undue all of our hard work.”
While the fate of the pandemic in the hands of CUNY is unknown, all Lehmannites and CUNY students should still take their own precautions when it comes to staying safe.
