The new normal this school year requires that students and staff wear masks throughout the school day, even though most people dislike wearing them. Though people in school want to go back to a time when there were no masks, they need to wear them to protect themselves and everyone around them, because without them, the virus spreads much faster and risks school closures, forcing students to go back to virtual learning at home if numbers increase to dangerous levels. 

As COVID goes around, people show symptoms as long as two weeks after contracting the virus. If people continue to refuse to wear their masks, as well as wear it correctly, a person who carrying the virus risks spreading it to others. In the early stages of the debut of this virus, news reporters informed people that ederly people are at risk to contract the virus more than children and teens. Since the mass reopening of schools, cases have risen among kids of all ages.

Schools constantly warn students about wearing their masks correctly, as the students not only compromise themselves and their peers by wearing under their nose or not at all, but they risk the health of faculty and staff too. Students continue trying to find ways and reasons to remove their masks and wear them beneath their noses because they find them uncomfortable and inconvenient. As a way to lower the risk of COVID, students and staff need to wash their hands regularly, especially after handling anything that isn’t theirs, eating, touching doors and using the restroom. 

Staying socially distant from others as much as possible means that if someone contracts the virus, they help reduce the amount of community spread of the virus on campus. Keeping one’s distance from others means that if someone were to contract the virus and stayed 6 feet or more away, it helps the risk of someone else catching it as well. 

The opinions on wearing masks differs from person to person. With so many options of mask styles, patterns, materials and even mask alternatives, such as face shields and neck gaiters, there really is no reason people should be looking for reasons to remove them from their faces for the reason of comfort. 

It’s simple: find the mask that fits your style and comfort level, then wear it. Masks currently represent the safety of everyone in school and though students and staff must adjust to the ever changing conditions, everyone needs to wear one and not just for their own safety, but for the sake of others as well.