Is it Time for Masks Again?

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues on to almost two years effecting us all, there comes the question of masks, and if it is time for them to be worn again?

Lafayette+High+School+students%2C+Meghan+Degrandpre+and+Clara+Burgess%2C+are+deciding+to+mask+up%21+Lets+mask+up+rams%21

Kathryn Motes

Lafayette High School students, Meghan Degrandpre and Clara Burgess, are deciding to mask up! Let’s mask up rams!

With the current surge of cases in our area as well as worldwide, the question arises: is it time to wear mask out in public again? When is a appropriate time to not wear mask?

Over the summer and the start of the fall season, masks were no longer required and more and more people started to become comfortable without them. This came with a lower number of Covid’19 cases and a decrease in hospitalizations. As the winter season has started, Covid’19 cases have surged all over the world. The Netherlands have shut their country back down, and it looks like many countries are going to follow their lead. This leaves us in the United States with the question of weather we should be wearing mask again?

In public masking is becoming more common, much as it was during the peak months of the pandemic. With the omicron variant running rampant globally the CDC recommends the wearing of mask in indoor public establishments. As a result, signs are appearing asking people to wear masks in stores, or restaurants. This is starting to become the new normal in different areas of the United States, although different states have different guidelines.  For example, New York City is much stricter on their Covid’19 guidelines than other areas in the state.

As cases continue to rise it looks like the wearing of masks will become more widely worn as the Covid’19 cases began to surge globally. Hopefully people will start to realize that masks are there to protect you, as well as the people around you. The wearing of masks could hopefully help cases decrease to a point in this pandemic we all can comfortably go out in public without the use of a mask.