April 14, 2022
By Hannah Opalinski
Staff Writer
Last month, Gov. Phil Murphy lifted New Jersey’s mask mandate in schools. For a variety of reasons, this was the correct decision to make.
First of all, one can still get Covid-19 even when wearing a mask. According to Fox News, masks do help prevent Covid-19, but cloth masks, in particular, do not block out smaller aerosols and particles that can get into one’s system.
Next, enforcing 100% compliance regarding proper mask-wearing is difficult. Even when there was a mask mandate, not all students wore them properly. Students would let their masks slip below their noses or pull them down to their chins.
At this time, wearing a mask is somewhat pointless because there is no way to prevent students from socializing with each other, especially with activities like awards and sports dinners, prom and senior banquet.
Another advantage of not wearing masks is that we can once again see what our classmates and teachers look like and hear them more clearly. According to the Hearing Resources Audiology Center, which is based in Oregon, it is significantly harder to hear people talking when they are wearing a mask. Especially if a person is deaf or hard of hearing, masks are problematic. Without masks, this population can hear more clearly or read lips. That said, even those who have good hearing can struggle to understand what people are saying when they are wearing a mask.
At this time, wearing a mask is somewhat pointless because there is no way to prevent students from socializing with each other, especially with activities like awards and sports dinners, prom and senior banquet. Since students are spending time outside of school together without wearing masks, it is inevitable that germs will spread within the Lyndhurst community. Similarly, we students all frequent the same stores and entertainment venues where masks are not required, so school should not be any different.
Finally, as we head into the warmer spring and summer months, it is a lot more comfortable to be without a mask. It was very hard last year to keep masks on when temperatures rose, so luckily, that is not a problem anymore. People who choose to wear a mask are still welcome to do so, but those who find it uncomfortable are now able to make the decision to be without it.
Covid-19 numbers are still relatively low, as are hospitalizations and deaths. According to The New York Times, as of April 7, there were an average of 227 cases per day in Bergen County. Hospitalizations are down 23 percent over the past two weeks, and deaths in the county average just 0.6 per day. Three-quarters of New Jerseyans are fully vaccinated, which gives them protection against serious illness.
If the time comes again where there is a surge in cases, deaths and hospitalizations, perhaps the mask mandate could be reconsidered, but for now, New Jersey’s school communities are better off without them.
