Jack Mitchell, MSHS Senior

Dear Editor,

School is different this year, in both obvious and also more subtle ways. Whether you’re a student, teacher, or an administrator, the status quo has been flipped on its head. One of the biggest differences is facial masks. According to the statewide mandate Executive Order D 2021 035, people in Colorado who are 11 years and older must wear a mask over their noses and mouths when entering or within any public indoor space, among other situations. It’s that first part that a lot of people seem to struggle with: Wearing a mask so that it covers their nose as well as their mouth. And there’s no real enforcement of this in the school.

I have several family members who are immunocompromised. It would be a very bad situation if I were to become a carrier for, or myself contract, the virus. So, anything that people can do in order to help slow the spread is appreciated. In addition, I’m also just a person who doesn’t want to contract the virus. In the United States, COVID-19 has a mortality rate of around 1.8%. That means if 1,000 people get it 18 people will die. I just don’t want one of my loved ones to be one of those 18.

I know that teachers can’t catch everything, but just having some sort of system to ensure students keep their masks over noses would be better than the nonexistent system currently in place. If, for example, teachers checked for proper mask-wearing while students were coming into class, that would likely cut down drastically on the issue.

In conclusion, face masks are, by many people, worn below the nose. This is wrong, but not enforced within our school. For people who have more to worry about from catching COVID-19, this can be a big source of stress or anxiety, and it shouldn’t be very difficult to implement a system to enforce this.

Truly, Jack Mitchell

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