Since the beginning of the pandemic, the mask’s main purpose has always been to protect. Not only to protect the person wearing it, but others around them as well. During the peak of the pandemic throughout 2020 and 2021, where safety and well-being were primary concerns, wearing a mask brings a sense of connection and unity by serving as a way of saying: “we’re all in this together.” Wearing a mask also displays one’s sense of selflessness, as it shows that you’re willing to give up some of your personal comfort for the sake of making others feel safer around you. 

Scientific studies have also shown the effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19. One study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that at least 96% of the over 1,000 negative-testing participants wore some sort of face mask. Conversely, less than 4% of the negative-testing participants never wore a face mask of any kind while the study was being conducted, thus indicating the miniscule chances of lowering the possibility of contracting COVID without a face mask.

Following California’s new guidelines on masking, school districts are now allowed to make their own decision regarding requiring masks. Arcadia Unified School District, like neighboring Pasadena and Alhambra school districts, has decided to no longer require masks but “strongly recommend” students and staff to continue wearing them.   

Sadly, though the physical purpose of masks is to protect, it has become a symbol of great divide and polarization in our society. From the halls of Washington’s Capitol Building to countless households around the country, the mask has gained a separate, more polarizing significance for many. Some arguments state that mask requirements are insufficient in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and as such are unnecessary; others claim that the only truly efficient way to prevent the spread of COVID is by wearing a mask, at least until herd immunity through vaccination is achieved.

At Arcadia High School, students are faced with making a difficult choice. Throughout the pandemic, wearing a mask at school placed an individual in the majority, while those who didn’t wear one stood out—often with negative assumptions about why they weren’t wearing a mask. Now with the mandate being lifted, it is difficult for many to remove that negative association (whether politically-motivated or not) when they see someone choosing to not wear a mask. The unwillingness and difficulty in understanding opposing viewpoints puts Arcadia students at a divide—and it will potentially hinder our ability to move forward. 

Whereas the mask was initially a tool to protect, it has become so politicized to the point that wearing a mask on campus is no longer an issue of safety more than it is a social dilemma. Students who will continue wearing masks can be judged as insecure, and students who don’t severely stand out. These factors prevent us from making our own choices regarding our body and our privacy. Everyone should be entitled to their own point of view regarding the new mandate—the choice to wear or not to wear a mask is entirely up to an individual. Judging someone for their personal choice only furthers the divide, not only for our own school but for the nation as a whole. 

With so many false victories and deadly surges in the past year, it’s difficult to imagine a future where a new variant won’t dash our hopes of easing back to normal. But as we approach yet another year of the COVID pandemic, and things are finally looking up again, it’s about time we move away from polarization and towards unity.

Photo courtesy of CROSSTHEPACIFIC.COM