Jesuit seemed to make progress in returning to normal this school year. We removed the plexiglass in the cafeteria, and, most notably, lifted the mask mandate. But when the Jesuit administration announced a return to masks, the second semester is beginning to feel like a step back. Our community had questions concerning the mask mandate at Jesuit, so I talked to nurse Anna at the student affairs office to get answers related to the return of the mask mandate.
Did the Omicron Variant Have an Effect on the Decision?
“Yes, that was the main reason for bringing back the mask mandate.”
She added:
“We were doing really well from when we dropped the mask in October, all the way through break. I didn’t see any spike of cases in that time; however, once Omicron hit Dallas, we realized it was going to be necessary to take every precaution we could while the boys were in school.”
She continued:
We will keep the masks “at least during the school day to protect the kids, and so [they can] attend their classes right. Any extra layers of protection we can provide to keep the boys safe for academics – we felt that was important.”
Did the Rise in Cases During the Break Play Into the Decision?
“That definitely played into it; there were already rising cases in the community when we had our meeting the first week of January – so yes. We did know there were already some cases we needed to monitor, and we knew there was going to be a spike in cases.”
Is the mandate Going to Long Term or Short Term?
According to our last ranger report:
“Masks will continue to be required during the school day while indoors through Friday, Feb. 4. Our goal is to move to a mask-optional policy beginning on Monday, Feb. 7. We will continue to carefully monitor the climate of infection in conjunction with our medical advisors and will communicate additional changes to our health and safety protocols as they arise.”
Nurse Anna added:
“I do think it’s just going to be temporary, and we are waiting until this Omicron variant passes and cases start to decrease.”
Conclusion
Many students at Jesuit are not happy about the return of the mask mandate, and nurse Anna understands the frustration students have and hopes the mandate will be lifted soon. She stated that the best way to lift the mandate is to wear the mask correctly at school and take the proper measures to keep yourself safe from Covid-19.
