Mask Mandates

Mask+Mandates

James Cugno

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of people have become infected with the virus. In order to slow the spread of the virus, wearing face masks has become common  practice. All across the world, governments have implemented mandatory mask mandates in hopes of protecting everybody from Covid. The United States has always been at the forefront of mask mandate debates; in the state of New Jersey, mask wearing at schools has been an ongoing debate since the reopening of in-person learning.

Since Delbarton School reopened for in-person learning at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, all students, faculty, and staff have been required to wear face coverings. The only area on campus where people were allowed to take off their masks was in the cafeteria to eat. Although students have been cooperative with the mask mandates, many have voiced their opinions against wearing masks. Students all across New Jersey have been wondering and wishing for the time when they can attend school without having to wear face masks–luckily for them, it looks like they will be getting their wishes very shortly.

Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, who has arguably imposed some of the strictest mask restrictions in the country, has decided to lift the mask mandates in all schools in the state. His new policy will begin on March 7th. “I must thank the overwhelming majority of students, parents, administrators, educators, and support staffers who have worn their masks without problem or protest since our schools reopened for in-person learning. Thankfully, we have reached a point where we feel confident that we can take another step toward normalcy for our kids,” explained Murphy. 

Although many people are happy about Murphy’s decision, there are still large numbers of people advocating for continued mask wearing. Roughly 32,000 people have died due to Covid-19 in New Jersey since March 2019. Because of the death count and the various new variants of the virus, there still remains the debate on whether face masks are effective in slowing down the spread of the virus. Regardless of the debate, Murphy has decided to lift the mask mandates in the schools.

So what does this mean for Delbarton? Schools in New Jersey are still allowed to enforce their own mask rules. Murphy’s decision simply allows schools to give students the option of wearing masks. If Delbarton feels the need to keep students wearing masks, they can still enforce their own rules. However, Delbarton has announced that when students arrive back from Spring Break on March 14th, they will no longer be required to wear masks. Those who still want to wear masks are still allowed to do so. By the looks of it, all of the Delbarton community can look forward to attending class after break with the ability to see the faces of all those around them.