By RACHEL ARCHIBEQUE
New Jersey lifts their mask mandate on March 7th for daycares and schools statewide, making the state one of many who made this drastic decision. As many residents celebrate in the news and ditch the masks just in time for spring, some feel indifferent and can’t help but feel concerned about what this means for our future with COVID-19.
The Big Picture: A few days ago, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy made the executive decision to lift the state’s mask mandate in schools and daycares. “With COVID-19 moving into an endemic, the time has come to move toward normalcy.” Said Gov. Murphy on Friday. As the Garden State begins to make changes to regain a sense of normalcy, other states are slowly starting to follow suit and begin their road to recovery from the pandemic. Just this week, New York’s Mayor Eric Adams decided to lift the city’s mask mandate in public schools. As spring slowly approaches, it’s apparent that changes like these in different states will become more common than we think.
Masks are now optional for public school children in New York City.
It is a day some have yearned for and others think has come too soon, triggered by Mayor Eric Adams’s decision to lift the mask mandate in the city’s schools.https://t.co/RP
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 7, 2022
Go Deeper: While New Jersey makes these new drastic new changes, other states on both coasts are starting to deviate from mask mandates in the education system. California, Oregon, and Washington are ending their requirements on March 11 as a new poll suggests a drop in fearing the virus in Americans. Governors like Kate Brown of Oregon is determined to recover from the Omicron surge and prepare for what’s to come after everything that has happened over the course of two years.
- Back on the east coast, towns like Montclair and Hoboken in New Jersey have decided to extend their own mask mandate for shops and restaurants until the end of March and will then decide on the full or partial removal of masks.
- Officials in Hoboken say that mandate will be lifted if and when the state’s positivity rate reaches 5% for an entire week or when positive cases regularly start to dwindle. With news breaking, the positivity rate is presently at 6.76%.
- On March 4th, the second anniversary of the first positive COVID-19 case in the state, Gov. Murphy alluded to changes being made as the state starts to move into the next phase of their pandemic plan and commends the people of the state for following through.
Why It Matters: While many people are excited about the new changes to New Jersey’s strict COVID-29 rules, others prefer the masks and stay safe over removing them altogether. Members of the Residence Life student staff at Ramapo College of New Jersey voiced their opinions and concerns for what may happen if the college decides to lift the mask mandate, following the COVID-19 booster requirement to register for classes and live on campus.
- SARD Nashari Payano from Bischoff Hall explained the removal of masks on campus will greatly impact the residents and will give them the opportunity to interact with one another. She stated, “At the end of the day, washing your hands and getting vaccinated is more effective than wearing the mask. I think that it will be great for the residents and kids who have been wearing them for the two years and I’m hopeful that Ramapo will remove the mandate.”
- RA Tushar Mittal from Mackin Hall voiced his opinions on the recent mandate and what this might mean for residents who want to keep wearing the mask while coming in contact with those who rather discard the masks altogether. He said, “As an RA, I do get concerned when my residents aren’t wearing the mask or not following the policies because it’s not just them. It’s other residents and their friends and neighbors they have to look out for.”
The Bottom Line: Despite Gov. Murphy’s efforts to lift the mask mandate, many residents of New Jersey are still taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones at home. After two years of living in the pandemic, the lifting of mandates is no surprise, but the concerns and worries about the virus are still thriving in many different towns and cities. People are going to make changes to the rules to appease those who live in each district but making sure that it’s the correct decision for everyone involved is something that should be observed at all times.
You did a great job formatting this article in Axios style! You broke it down to the exact points you needed to cover this story. The mask mandate is an important topic to cover. Each subhead, you broke down the essential information needed. The Go deeper section gives the reader the facts. I appreciated how you included links that the reader can click on to read the stats. My favorite subhead is the Why it matters section. In this section, you were able to show quotes from students at Ramapo College and their takeaways of the mask mandate. This shows the reader what students are feeling about lifting masks. You included an audio clip after as well which is a great addition and shows students opinions. The Bottom line is short and right to the point. Overall, a really good job!