By: Myles D, staff writer
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the topic of masks has been a heavily debated topic as some people have felt that their rights are being taken away by being forced to wear masks in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. But over the last few months, COVID cases have been going down, which has led to mask mandates being lifted, allowing more and more places to no longer require masks. As of March 12th, San Francisco public middle and high schools no longer require masks which have led to more students going to school maskless.
I first decided not to wear a mask 2 or 3 days after the school district stopped requiring them, mainly because I was overall just tired of wearing a mask all the time. Honestly, it was actually a pretty easy decision for me to not wear a mask anymore.
Beyond just being tired of wearing a mask, a few other factors went into my decision to go maskless. First, I, personally, feel comfortable not wearing a mask, and I also feel like if we want to get back to normal, we need to stop having to always have to wear masks. Since COVID cases have slowed down, I think now is the time to move on from all this.
Another reason I don’t want to wear a mask is that I feel like masks add a kind of barrier between interactions. It’s a strange feeling for me when I can’t see people’s reactions to things and how they are feeling.
The decision for me to not wear a mask is also partly based on convenience. When I come back from lunch, putting on a mask is uncomfortable and bothersome, and I don’t feel like putting the mask back on again. Also, I usually can’t breathe through my nose due to allergies and asthma, so the mask is pretty annoying.
In my classes, I have noticed I am usually one of 3-4 people who aren’t wearing masks out of the 25-30 students. When I first stopped wearing a mask, I felt like people were looking at me with inquisitive glances, but after a while, people have gotten used to it. When people look at me with my mask off, it doesn’t bother me, because most of the time, I feel like they aren’t looking at me with hostility or anything. I think most people just don’t care that much about it.
As for my parents, my dad and my mom have different views on me not wearing a mask. My dad is very supportive of me not wearing a mask to school and encourages it greatly. My mom, on the other hand, isn’t too comfortable with me going to school without a mask. But in the end, they’ve said It’s my decision to wear a mask or not.
The bottom line is I’ve chosen not to wear a mask on my own and wasn’t influenced by anyone. I felt ready to return to how things were before COVID-19 and I feel like we need to move on from all this now that things are dying down.
