At least 11 states in America are dropping or modifying their mask mandates in schools this February, even as the experts said there are still substantial risks of community transmissions.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in an interview with WYPR that she does not recommend dropping the mask mandates as outbreaks and transmissions are still occurring in many communities. She believes that her agency has to uphold protecting the children so they can safely be in school as the pandemic is far from over.
However, as of Monday, February 7, the states of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington have announced removal or changes to its mask mandates indoors, which will take effect in the coming weeks. This has raised the alarm for many parents who worry for the health and safety of their children against COVID-19.
Kids Can Still Wear Their Mask
However, CNN's medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen said that parents should not be worried because they can still let their children wear a face mask in school. Wen clarified that dropping the mask mandates simply means that state governments can no longer impose on this requirement.
However, this doesn't remove anyone's right to have that extra layer of protection. So, if the parents choose to let their kids keep wearing a face mask in the classroom, they are free to do so.
Wen also stressed that parents might also give their children another layer of protection by getting them vaccinated. In an interview with CNN, she said that many vaccination centers have stocks of the approved vaccines for children.
"The vaccine is a very powerful layer of protection because people who are vaccinated are less likely to contract COVID-19 and therefore less likely to transmit it, too," the doctor said.
Mom Sabila Kahn of New Jersey believes that dropping the mask mandate is a "recipe for disaster" when only 22 percent of kids between the ages of 5 to 11 years old are fully vaccinated. She feels that her kids' school should wait until the vaccination rate in their age group is higher before changing the rules.
The mom said that her children's mental health also suffered when they lost their grandfather to COVID-19 in 2020. She implied that the stress of dealing with the disease is also mental and physical.
Some Parents Welcome Mandate's Removal
Meanwhile, in Houston, parents welcome actions from officials to remove the mask mandates. The West U Parent Choice, a concerned parenting group, has been speaking with the school board to make mask-wearing optional, even as there is still no order from the state governor.
Parent Lauren Droubi believes that wearing a face mask should be their call and not anyone else's. She said that they have been asking the school board from the start for scientific evidence that wearing a face mask is effective against COVID-19 in the school setting, but they have been given none, per Click 2 Houston.
