COVID cases rise as mask use falls
As California school Covid rules are gradually becoming less restrictive, CVUSD positive cases are suddenly increasing.
Following the end of the mask mandate at CVUSD, the percentage of masked students has dropped from 95 percent in mid-March to 92 percent in early May according to a count done by The Olympian.
The end of the mask mandate and the slight decrease in masked students could possibly have a correlation with the rise in cases this past month. The CVUSD Positive Case Dashboard shows that in March there were a total of 28 positive cases. In April, it rose to 128 cases after the end of the mask mandate in mid-March. Specifically at CVHS, cases increased by more than tenfold.
“The masks were definitely helping and that’s why I think it’s better for everyone if we all wear masks. Yeah, they’re uncomfortable at times, however it’s all about protecting ourselves and other people,” stated CVHS health teacher Erika Ikemoto.
CVHS Trojans have various concerns around decreased masking in classrooms and what it may mean for their safety at school.
“I feel like the mask mandate should still be in place because there is still Covid around and there’s even a new variant. I still wear my mask around school, but some of my friends don’t. I think not wearing it outside is understandable but we should still wear them in classrooms,” said sophomore Clare Chung.
“I understand masks off outdoors, but I don’t trust everyone else enough to be maskless indoors. I’ll keep my mask on to keep my peers, their families, and myself as safe as possible. I suggest you do the same,” said sophomore Emma Pham.
Some are hopeful about the progress in the fight against Covid, but are still being cautious out of worry for others.
“Since we’re lifting the mask mandate, that’s a start to going back to normal, but it makes me nervous for populations who are more at risk,” said biology teacher Emily Ledford.
In October, the state announced that there would be a vaccine mandate for students, but since then, the requirement has been pushed back to the next school year. The vaccines have not been fully approved by the FDA for children in grades 7-12 and are still only under emergency approval for that age group.
“I think it would be beneficial for all to have a vaccine, but there are a lot of people who are not willing to get it for a number of reasons. It is beneficial to have students at school even though they aren’t vaccinated, however the mask mandate should be something that should still be in place for the protection of all,” said Ikemoto.
Although the number of positive cases could decrease with the implementation of a vaccine mandate in the school district, the earliest it could be implemented would be some time this summer. It is still in question whether or not it will be in place by the start of the next school year.
A lot of people around me got tested positive lately, and I think the vaccine helped a lot since most of them said it is just like a normal fever, but I think people should still keep wearing mask.
I think it’s unfortunate that more and more people are starting to get covid, especially so close to the end of the school year. I hope that those who are missing finals get the chance to make it up, without having to do summer school because that would not be fun. Although I support people’s right to make a decision about whether or not they wear a mask, I don’t think it’s worth the risk.
I hope the people who have Covid are able to get through it physically and mentally
Hopefully there isn’t another surge coming
I feel bad for people that got covid before finals because this is gonna affects there grades by a lot. Especially if they are juniors this can affect their future college admissions. Hopefully they will be given equal time or make ups during summer.
Wearing a mask would be beneficial for all at school. I mainly agree that not wearing it outdoors is fine, but we should be more cautious about our decision to wear it outdoors. Hopefully, people will be more safe against COVID because it would not be good for more to get sick again.
I have personally noticed the sudden increase in COVID cases because I know at least 5 people that tested positive a couple of weeks ago. My mom also realized that her school in San Francisco has had many recent absences due to COVID or symptoms of sickness. I wish that our school district or even the whole state of California would still require face masks in public settings.
Although wearing a mask is optional I think people should still wear masks in doors to protect themselves and the people around them especially since there has been an increase in positive cases.
This summer is going to be crazy because there is no longer mask mandate. It will be tough if people get COVID before the school starts.
I’m not surprised that the number of cases have gone up. Just because you don’t have to wear a mask doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. I continue to wear a mask because I don’t want to get it but understand that you may be inclined to leave it off if you believe you are being safe. I know it is hard to know when you have it but it can be easily spreader around if you don’t wear a mask.
Cases have been rising lately and it’s concerning, even though it’s not as bad as when there was little to no knowledge about the virus, it’s still a virus that could harm people. Though I understand that the mask mandate has been lifted and that it’s totally optional now, I feel it should still be stressed. It’s not just to protect yourself it’s also to protect others.
I think it is still very important to wear masks in public areas. I know one of my friend tested positive for COVID which makes me kind of sad. She doesn’t even know how she got it because she wore her mask all the time except during lunch and she was fully vaccinated. I hope people who got covid right now could feel better.
I haven’t got covid before and I don’t want to get it. So I will continue to wear my mask.
With covid cases going back up again I personally dont know how safe in person school is with the current surge of cases. Most likely unless the surges become real bad we will stay in school but I feel like we are in danger for more and more surges of covid.
I’ve noticed the covid rates have gotten higher yet there are still people out there who won’t wear a mask. I understand it’s optional but I don’t think its a good idea.
Masks I think help alot with this and it shows. Putting the mandate would help a lot to stop this.
It is scary that COVID cases are going up again. Even though we are tired of wearing the mask, it is better than getting the virus. I hope people continue to get the vaccine, so that in the future we won’t get to much cases.
I think that the more people that take off their masks the more covid cases there will be but now i feel like im not hearing as much about it as i used to.
I feel like it would be better if they put the mandate back in place. After seeing these statistics, they should definitely consider it at least.
I noticed that the covid cases from our district as gone up this month. I think that we should wear our masks so we don’t fall sick and miss the last few weeks of school.
I feel like wearing a mask at school is very important because there are so many students and staff members around school and it is very easy to get covid with the amount of people at our school.
I see that recently there has been more covid cases and I know a few people who have gotten some. I think that mask are still important to keep all of us safe, and I hope that we can still use them until the rest of the year, because there is only around 2 weeks left.
although masks are optional, we should make good decisions as we move towards summer
Hopefully, a mask mandate is implemented this summer so we never have to worry about cases going up again.
I still double mask at school. I will NOT take my mask off at school until either we have AT LEAST 80% of people in the United States FULLY VACCINATED and/or a MAJORITY of the people that I know are OK with me maskless AND would be comfortable with me being maskless. I do NOT want OR need to make ANYONE uncomfortable.
I still feel like having a mask is a good idea, and it has shown so. Ever since lifting the mask mandate is seems like cases in California are starting a rise slowly. Hope covid goes away soon.
A lot of my friends are currently testing positive for COVID and it makes me even more scared than before. I hope that more people get the vaccine and keep wearing their masks in high risk areas so that we can all stay safe.