Are we ready to mask off in school?
However, despite being finally able to breathe better without masks, relaxing the mask policy to include students may be too risky at the moment. It is an unwise move to do at this time.
Daily TribuneHowever, despite being finally able to breathe better without masks, relaxing the mask policy to include students may be too risky at the moment. It is an unwise move to do at this time.
photographs courtesy of pexels/rodnae productions, unsplash/towfiqu barbhuiya, and unsplash/kelly sikkema
After two years, the Covid-19 pandemic is hopefully coming to an end and things are slowly coming back to the way they once were.
Students and teachers are now conducting limited face-to-face classes. People are now going to malls, public places are reopening, and safety protocols are slowly being lifted. Life is indeed slowly returning to normal after the pandemic.
Recently, President Bongbong Marcos signed Executive Order 3. As proposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, wearing of masks outdoors is now optional. However, for indoor environments and areas where social distancing cannot be maintained, people should still wear masks.
There are sectors proposing that students should also be allowed to mask off while in school.
Protocols should not be lifted in just one go but slowly, with caution and thoughtfulness, to ensure everyone can go back to normalcy without difficulty.
Covid-19 cases have dropped and are no longer rising significantly. Vaccines and boosters have also been provided to minors to help combat the effects of the virus while being liberated from much of the pandemic's rules.
However, despite being finally able to breathe better without masks, relaxing the face mask policy to include students may be too risky at the moment. It is an unwise move to do at this time.
Many of our school and classroom spaces are not big and well-ventilated enough. No masks on would mean not having enough leeway to do social distancing. Removal of masks in this kind of situation disregards health protocols. It would cause more dire consequences than is necessary.
The location of the school should also be considered in the mask off suggestion for students. After all, schools in various locations in the Philippines have different situations and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and have varying pace in terms of their vaccination and boosting programs.
Low-risk areas with many vaccinated and boosted students can give the freedom for students to not wear masks in school, as long as it is made clear that social distancing and proper sanitation should still be observed.
Removal of masks in this kind of situation disregards health protocols. It would cause more dire consequences than is necessary.
However, in high-risk places with tight spaces and majority of its population are unvaccinated students and teachers, a different approach might be suited. Wearing masks should still be required, whether people are in an open space or not.
Surely, different approaches for different situations should be considered.
So, are we students ready to mask off in school? We all have to be prudent and careful. Protocols should not be lifted in just one go but instead implemented slowly, with caution and thoughtfulness to ensure that every Filipino student and citizen can go back to normalcy without difficulty.
This is how we tread on the road back to a better normal.