On Monday the University of Idaho removed its mask mandate, pushing the decision to require masks in classrooms onto professors.
The decision came just after our communities have begun recovering from the highest positive COVID-19 case levels since the beginning of the pandemic, and right before spring break. Most people have mixed feelings about being able to go unmasked again.
For many, the removal of the mask mandate is a relief. Guessing at what the lower half of people’s faces look like was an entertaining game for the first few weeks of the pandemic, but got old quickly.
In-person communication is so much more fulfilling now that we can see the faces we’re speaking with. We can see the smiles and frowns beyond their eyes, and this is a part of human communication we all took for granted before.
But for some, the removal of the mask mandate is nerve-racking. After two years of the pandemic, wearing masks every day in public and never knowing when you’ll be exposed to an invisible virus, taking the mask off can be a very big decision.
While it seems like the decision to wear a mask or not is a personal one in Idaho, it isn’t.
When we go to the grocery stores, we don’t know whether the person standing next to us has been exposed to COVID-19 or not. We don’t know if they are immunocompromised or if they are very close with someone who is, like a cancer survivor or grandparents. There’s no way to tell all that just from looking at a person.
But whether we know what another person’s life looks like or not, everyone should be willing to be cautious for their neighbor’s sake. Putting on a mask temporarily is not hard. It isn’t fun, but it’s not life-threatening the way that not wearing one can be for some of our community.
So we need to be willing to keep wearing masks. Just because the mandate is gone doesn’t mean that everyone is safe, and the decision to require masks in the classroom is a heavy burden to place on our professors.
It’s no secret that many professors at UI are older and may already have some age-related health issues going on. It’s also no secret that many professors have close family members who are older, and many students are in similar situations.
Everyone’s risk level looks different and having the flexibility to be able to adapt to different situations has been a key characteristic to making it through the pandemic with the least amount of damage possible.
We’re so glad to be seeing people without face coverings again, but masks really are the new normal. It shouldn’t have to be required for us to wear them, and we should continue to be open to wearing them for the safety of our community.
Situations to consider wearing masks would be in large indoor groups of over 25 people, in rooms that are particularly crowded and around people we know are immunocompromised or are in frequent contact with someone who is.
This isn’t about a political agenda, this is about health, wellness, life and death. Be considerate, be kind and be open-minded about wearing masks. Just because the mandate is gone doesn’t mean the virus will go away and we should always stay vigilant in case numbers begin going up again. –
–Editorial Board