Earlier today I heard that we will need masks when we return to school. Now, I have a few choice words to say about this decision, which may ruffle some feathers. So, bear with me here.

The one burning question I have is: why masks and not vaccinations? The state of California is significantly loosening mask regulations starting June 15. Most other states are doing the same or have already done it. Following new guidelines from the CDC which state that masking while vaccinated is unnecessary – it simply makes sense. Yet many individual businesses or groups are choosing to further the mask mandate, such as our the school, apparently.

What I don’t get is why there is no vaccination mandate like there was a mask mandate. We know which of these two, masks and vaccinations, is proven to be effective. Just look at the decline in cases and positivity rate vs. increase in vaccinations. There is a correlation clear as day.

Now, compare that to when mask mandates first went into place last year. The change is minute to nonexistent. It’s obvious that vaccinations are what is going to end this pandemic once and for all.

But without any mandate or requirement, plenty of people won’t get vaccinated. Whatever their reason may be, the supposed “herd immunity” cannot be reached, or will not for an unnecessarily long time, without them. The virus will continue to linger and we’ll all have to keep wearing masks, despite being wholly unnecessary for the people with vaccinations, which seems to be the road we’re headed.

No one likes masks, no one sane at least. They’re gross, sweaty, unappealing, and make it impossible to hear half of what you’re saying. Why should we have to keep dealing with that if we’re immune and the CDC, who these same people have been trusting this whole time, says it’s pointless?

It truly feels like a half-hearted move that won’t truly solve the problem. It’s putting a tiny, used, sweaty band-aid on a giant, disgusting, bloody gash. If we want to actually get rid of the gash, we need to treat it properly, with the vaccine.

Now, I’m not a scientist, or a doctor, or a genius, or anyone who you should trust realistically, but I have a platform so I’m going to make my stance clear and make it sound agreeable. I see no reason to blindly follow rules, regulations or laws that make no sense and are a detriment if anything to public health. By allowing people to get away with refusing vaccinations by mandating masks instead, it will delay or prevent reaching herd immunity and continue spread of the virus. But I don’t have any power to actually do anything about it. So, I urge you, the reader, to do it for me. If you’ve got a better platform than this (I don’t), make your opinion heard. 

If you agree with any of this, that is. New information is always being found on the virus and vaccines and whatnot, so if there is some unknown finding about masks being necessary furthermore, I’m open to challenging my opinion. But until that moment comes, if it comes, I will remain confident in this.