By Abigail Campbell and Aidan Millar-White
Current guidelines have said that fully vaccinated individuals can choose not to wear a mask except in particular settings, such as K-12 schools, public transportation, health care settings, and when required by a business. Masks were still required for non-vaccinated individuals, however.
On Feb. 28, however, the governor of California announced that the mask mandate on schools will be lifted starting Mar. 11, leaving many students questioning what they should do.
Many counties and school districts however are opting to keep their current guidelines the same. According to Joe Hong, a K-12 education reporter for CalMatters.org, San Francisco Unified School District has also announced they do not plan on changing the guidelines for their schools.
Recently, Superintendent of Chawanakee Unified School District Marcy Guthrie stated in an email that the district will be starting to enforce the new guidelines. Guthrie also said that parent volunteers will be allowed back onto campus on Mar. 21.
Junior Keana Hokama shared how she felt about the situation.
“I think that's great, I mean a lot of us have been in the pandemic for - it's been two years since March of [2020], so it’s definitely going to be a relief, I think, for people. I think it’s also going to be interesting socially to actually start seeing people's faces and facial reactions, and then relearning how to, in a sense, engage with the world in a whole face perspective. ” commented Hokama, “I mean as long as COVID cases continue to go down I think that it’s good and we are heading in a positive direction.”
Here’s a list of post-reopening do’s and don'ts to help you make healthy decisions:
✔️ Wear a mask if you’re unvaccinated, especially in crowded, indoor environments ✔️ Follow safety rules for mega-events ✔️ Get tested if you’re sick ✔️ Wear a mask while using public transportation, even if you’re vaccinated ✔️ Honor mask and distancing rules in place at a private business ✔️ Get tested if required by your workplace ✔️ Wear a mask when you travel
❌ Expect others to be ready to shake or hug ❌ Lose your proof of vaccination ❌ Think you can’t get the virus or pass it on because you feel well ❌ Assume everyone is vaccinated ❌ Expect all COVID-19 rules everywhere to be lifted ❌ Travel into the U.S. without proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test ❌ Travel if you're sick