Regardless of the county’s gradual easement of COVID-19 requirements, changing Skyline’s mask mandates and following the majority could risk the health and safety of the community.

As county, state and federal regulations change causing mask mandates to lift, the district should continue to uphold indoor mask mandates for the remainder of the spring 2022 semester. Community members deserve a safe learning environment, while the future of COVID-19 remains uncertain.

Despite the peak of the omicron variant being behind us, there is a new fear that the BA.2 subvariant will lead to a renewed rise in cases. Currently, the new COVID-19 variant is the leading cause for the United Kingdom’s most recent case surge.

Many health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have observed that trends in the U.S. usually follow a few weeks behind trends in the U.K. This means that in a few weeks, we may be seeing a new surge in COVID-19 cases here at home. This also tracks what appears to be an annual uptick in cases that happens in the Spring.

While it may seem safe to lift restrictions now, it is likely that we would regret the decision. The district may be forced to announce a new set of restrictions right after ending the current ones.

In the spirit of contiguity, Skyline would be best served if the district continued the mask mandate for the duration of the current semester. It will avoid confusion among the student body, while also saving the district the potential headaches associated with having to go back on previous announcements.

The reality is, there are only about two months left in the semester. If we have been able to wear face coverings for the past two months, we can wear it for the next two.

This is especially necessary given that some community members have comorbidities or weaker immune systems that leave them more vulnerable to the virus. We should continue to protect our more vulnerable students by wearing masks indoors.

This is not to say that the mandates should go on forever. We simply believe that more time is needed before the current restrictions are lifted. The issue should be reviewed at the end of the semester, where up-to-date guidance can be used to help shape the future of the mask mandates for the summer and fall semesters.