By Andreale Mitchell ‘ 23
Remember the time when we had to wear a mask to enter certain establishments? Having to stand 6 feet apart from people in your community as if breathing next to them would cause the black plague volume 2 , or if you coughed you were looked at as if you just screamed “ I OBJECT” in the middle of a wedding ceremony ? Although that point in time in our history has been ‘swept under the rug’ we still deal with Covid and various other contagious illnesses.
In February of 2022, Connecticut governor Ned Lamont lifted the face covering order in Connecticut and to many it was a relief because they believed it had no effect anyway, but… maybe it did.
I spoke with Derby High School’s nurse Kelly Moran for feedback. I asked her if there has been an increase or decrease in the amount of students seeing her since the mask mandate was lifted. She explained that she sees the same amount of students, but the 2020-2021 school year she saw zero cases of the flu and in present time, people are rampantly getting it throughout the district. Although a school nurse can’t speak for the entire population, this causes some curiosity. Could it just be that more people are out of their homes and spreading it faster, or the lack of people who are still wearing their masks?
I spoke to a student, Colin Strickland 23’ and I asked him If he thought the masks were effective. He says, “Yes, I never got Covid but I also made sure I was never surrounded by people with the virus”. I also took a few quotes from the article Myth or Fact – Masks are effective against COVID-19. Something that stood out to me was “While all masks provide some level of protection, properly fitting masks provide the highest level of protection. Wearing highly protective masks are important for certain higher-risk situations, or for some people at increased risk for severe disease” . This sparked the idea that if they were effective maybe only under certain circumstances. What I mean by this is if the masks were not being worn properly , air would still be able to enter and exit causing the person to still be susceptible to the sickness.
One of the main controversial issues that erupted from the masks were certain people saying it made it too hard to breathe. Often people would lift their masks under their nose but on top of the lip and some just refused to wear one at all. At the time our president Donald J. Trump made countless remarks about the masks over twitter and during his speeches “The president, by his own admission, downplayed the severity of the pandemic. From the start he sent mixed messages on the wearing of masks and other protective measures recommended by his own public health experts,” Said John Cohen one of the former undersecretary for intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security. . . His negative remarks on the masks made an impact in people’s refusal to wear the masks, which could be part of the reason for why the case numbers didn’t make a drastic difference because they weren’t being worn properly or even at all anyway.
The question ‘do masks really help protect us’ is a rhetorical question. Masks prevent individuals from breathing it in and out. But the viruses can still be transmitted by the touch of surfaces, door handles , household objects etc… When you’re in public and you have your mask on , you’re still in contact with things others have touched. Everything you came in contact with is now in your vicinity and you’re most likely inhaling it or tracking it throughout your surrounding area.
We will never be able to escape viruses but it is important to keep ourselves protected. I believe masks have made an impact and have helped ensure safety , there many different types you can buy based on the level of comfort you are looking for. You shouldn’t have to risk being sick because you feel uncomfortable. You also shouldn’t risk your health because of an opinion given by a source that may not be credible. Doing what is best for you is important but it is also important to protect others, masks can stop you from spreading it not only getting it. So, will you keep your mask on or off?
The Raider Press 