So pissed at the CDC

[georgiegirl]

I’m so pissed at the CDC’s new crap guidance. As a result our state said no one needs to wear masks indoors anymore and no one needs to quarantine if exposed to covid. And I just got an email from our district that masks are optional starting Monday and kids don’t need to quarantine if they were exposed (no masks). So a kid can be exposed to covid at school and show up the next day without a mask and it’s all fine. What the F?!?!?!


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[mom2binsd]

It does seem like the new guidelines came out of left field. Our blue state, Illinois, has been much more restricted than you guys, and they still have a mask mandate here. My conspiracy friends feel it is to take focus of of something else the government has cooking up!

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[frugalmom]

I’m so pissed at the CDC’s new crap guidance. As a result our state said no one needs to wear masks indoors anymore and no one needs to quarantine if exposed to covid. And I just got an email from our district that masks are optional starting Monday and kids don’t need to quarantine if they were exposed (no masks). What the F?!?!?!


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You and me both sister! I am so upset. But I also think that the CDC said no masks for fully vaccinated people in most situations, so I think states and schools are not hearing that part of it.

[Globetrotter]

Since when do people understand rules and nuance? After a year of this, I think we should have known by now that it would be a free for all in areas like OPs. So sorry to hear that..

[AngB]

I am sorry. I am expecting an email the day after DS2 gets out of 'modified' quarantine next week- after missing a week of soccer and swimming because unlike most in our area we are following the quarantine rules- that our schools will decide not to quarantine anymore for the remainder of the year. They say they will require masks still but I'm not holding my breath on that.

Can someone please start a petition to require masks still for unvaccinated kids? I've had like 3 "friends" on FB share them already including one that's a former teacher and one that works in healthcare so that's great.

[PZMommy]

Me too! My kids are too young to be vaccinated, and now we will have to spend another summer stuck at home, because my youngest is high risk, and too many idiots will go out unmasked and unvaxed. The CDC said fully vaxed can go without masks, but states didn't hear that part. There is no way to tell who is vaxed or not, and many of the no vaxers are also no maskers.

My state is keeping the mask mandate until June 15th. (not sure why that date). The schools have to keep the mask mandate as it is part of the teacher contract, and if the district were to drop it, teachers would be allowed to no longer show up to work due to safety concerns. I'm pretty sure elem schools may still be masked in the fall, because the teacher union will push for it and have it written in to the contract. If the district wants to fully open schools, they may have to give in and agree to masking.

[jgenie]

I am so upset. My youngest is high risk and not eligible yet. I had hoped to have a more normal summer but there will be know way to know if people next to us are vaccinated or not so we will once again spend summer mostly at home. I am thankful I don’t have to send my kids to camp or daycare with unmasked kids.

[gatorsmom]

It does seem like the new guidelines came out of left field. Our blue state, Illinois, has been much more restricted than you guys, and they still have a mask mandate here. My conspiracy friends feel it is to take focus of of something else the government has cooking up!

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Ive heard this too. Dh who is primarily a fiscal conservative above all else (and a former petroleum engineer), feels that the new mask rules are to take attention away from the fact that there is no gasoline on the east coast. He says that because the Biden administration stopped all pipeline production, there is no safe secondary way to get gasoline to the east coast states. Apparently the Biden administration admitted begrudgingly just a day again that yes, pipelines are the safest way to get gasoline to the public. It’s a big mistake and the “good news” about the new mask rules should draw attention away from the gasoline mess. He says if this had happened under Trump’s watch, everyone would have blamed Trump for all the mess.

Except the new mask rules are NOT good news for the most vulnerable members of society.

[twowhat?]

I agree. The CDC's guidelines were super premature. They may be based on science but wow does the CDC not understand public mentality. OF COURSE this means people who aren't fully vaccinated and never plan to be are gonna throw away their masks!!!

I'm super disappointed, Costco. I'm so angry for those of you who can't get vaccinated or have children who aren't old enough. Just ugh.


You and me both sister! I am so upset. But I also think that the CDC said no masks for fully vaccinated people in most situations, so I think states and schools are not hearing that part of it.

I think they ARE hearing that part and are choosing to ignore it. In part because there's no easy and reliable way to prove who is fully vaccinated and who is not. This crumbling of the honor system is just another thing to add to my list of why I have lost faith in humanity. And those of you who say your elementary schools are using this as an "excuse" to ditch masks for the rest of the school year?? O.M.G.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Our school sent out an email Friday saying they’re aware of the guidance but will be requiring masks for the foreseeable future so I’m grateful.


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[petesgirl]

I am sorry. I am expecting an email the day after DS2 gets out of 'modified' quarantine next week- after missing a week of soccer and swimming because unlike most in our area we are following the quarantine rules- that our schools will decide not to quarantine anymore for the remainder of the year. They say they will require masks still but I'm not holding my breath on that.

Can someone please start a petition to require masks still for unvaccinated kids? I've had like 3 "friends" on FB share them already including one that's a former teacher and one that works in healthcare so that's great.

Well in my state there have been petitions going around all year to unmask the kids so a petition about keeping masks and quarantines would not work here.

[KrisM]

I'm with you on this. And I'm annoyed Michigan immediately dropped the mask rules for vaccinated too. My district commented that they are "anxiously awaiting" guidance about masks in school and will let us know. I sent an email asking to keep them for the last 4 weeks. Seriously, we are 4 weeks away - let's just finish the year!

[carolinamama]

I'm mad the CDC started it and I'm mad our governor removed the mask mandate yesterday. Similar numbers in the fall meant kids couldn't return to school but now we can remove distancing and masks like it's 2019. I believe one accurate measure of a society is how they care for their young, old and vulnerable. We've failed all three over the last 14 months. It's not just the government though - our fellow citizens are leading the charge, protesting distancing and masks.

Fortunately NC schools are still under a masking mandate and I feel for those of you without. It makes choices so much more difficult.

[sariana]

Me too! My kids are too young to be vaccinated, and now we will have to spend another summer stuck at home, because my youngest is high risk, and too many idiots will go out unmasked and unvaxed. The CDC said fully vaxed can go without masks, but states didn't hear that part. There is no way to tell who is vaxed or not, and many of the no vaxers are also no maskers.

My state is keeping the mask mandate until June 15th. (not sure why that date). The schools have to keep the mask mandate as it is part of the teacher contract, and if the district were to drop it, teachers would be allowed to no longer show up to work due to safety concerns. I'm pretty sure elem schools may still be masked in the fall, because the teacher union will push for it and have it written in to the contract. If the district wants to fully open schools, they may have to give in and agree to masking.
I hadn’t thought about it before, but now I wonder if the June 15th date is because most schools will be out by then.

[belovedgandp]

We have people demanding hearings from the school board to remove the mask mandate. Same people mad about school resources not being used for teaching this year and doing things like contact tracing. But they will require district resources for these hearings when there are FOUR days of school left.

[wendibird22]

Since when do people understand rules and nuance? After a year of this, I think we should have known by now that it would be a free for all in areas like OPs. So sorry to hear that..

So so true.

NY still requires masks indoors for all and outdoors for unvaccinated people. I went to three different garden centers today and while most people were still masked at two of them, at the third the employees were no longer masked and the teen girl employee told my 11yr old daughter she could take her mask off. Um no you don’t get to tell my kid that! Thankfully DD2 is Uber mask compliant and responded no, that’s okay, I’m good.

I live in a very red town and I know parents are already asking the school to do away with masks. And yet these same people have no desire to get their kids or themselves vaccinated.


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[specialp]

Ive heard this too. Dh who is primarily a fiscal conservative above all else (and a former petroleum engineer), feels that the new mask rules are to take attention away from the fact that there is no gasoline on the east coast. He says that because the Biden administration stopped all pipeline production, there is no safe secondary way to get gasoline to the east coast states. Apparently the Biden administration admitted begrudgingly just a day again that yes, pipelines are the safest way to get gasoline to the public. It’s a big mistake and the “good news” about the new mask rules should draw attention away from the gasoline mess. He says if this had happened under Trump’s watch, everyone would have blamed Trump for all the mess.

Except the new mask rules are NOT good news for the most vulnerable members of society.

I think this is regarding DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm 5/11 presser which I watched in real time and one particular news outlet isolated that statement and ran with it, but I personally didn’t take how and what she said the same way. The scope of the question and answer was much more limited to this particular and acute emergency than the headline suggested. You can watch at (min. 19) for that quote and the follow up question she answers next is certainly as important https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyL-kpeAOCw.



It does seem like the new guidelines came out of left field. Our blue state, Illinois, has been much more restricted than you guys, and they still have a mask mandate here. My conspiracy friends feel it is to take focus of of something else the government has cooking up!

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The gas was a big blip in an overall bad news week for the WH starting with the jobs report. GOP blames it on unemployment benefits and WH blames it on a combination of people being fearful to work in a pandemic, not having schools fully open, unfair wages in private sector, and expected ebbs and flow of a recovering economy. But bottom line no matter where you lay the blame: They want a better jobs report and to do that means getting people to work. Two weeks ago, a yougov poll showed 54% of vaccinated people were concerned about getting covid. So while some think this will go a long way to encouraging people to get a vaccine (it won’t), I think a broader message was to those who are vaccinated that you are safe. Now go to work. Kids <12 aren’t apart of jobs numbers (directly, at least) and they already relaxed those school and childcare guidelines. The fact that so many corporations, including ones who were otherwise leaders in mask mandate adherence and who also seem to be struggling with hiring workers, jumped immediately to drop their mask mandates makes me suspect a lot of pressure re: one word: jobs.

But that’s my crazy conspiracy theory because the WH has denied having any push or pull over the CDC and they were just as surprised as anyone.
Something like this coming from the CDC looks odd given the CDC’s position just a mere 2 weeks ago. (Interesting opinion piece on that here and how there was nothing new scientifically in a 2 weeks time frame to justify such a whiplash inducing shift. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/92596?fbclid=IwAR2qc-A2WCD-3Y3yG4uJC4f7m3wwahd-Z0mgwFrg6rHiThUJIsdt3HvfrME ) Given the collective BAM! of hundreds of virologists' and epidemiologists' jaws hitting the floor in shock, it’s difficult to see it as anything other than political.

[Kindra178]

Ive heard this too. Dh who is primarily a fiscal conservative above all else (and a former petroleum engineer), feels that the new mask rules are to take attention away from the fact that there is no gasoline on the east coast. He says that because the Biden administration stopped all pipeline production, there is no safe secondary way to get gasoline to the east coast states. Apparently the Biden administration admitted begrudgingly just a day again that yes, pipelines are the safest way to get gasoline to the public. It’s a big mistake and the “good news” about the new mask rules should draw attention away from the gasoline mess. He says if this had happened under Trump’s watch, everyone would have blamed Trump for all the mess.

Except the new mask rules are NOT good news for the most vulnerable members of society.

I just don’t think this is it. I think it has more has to do with Collins et al from the hearing early last week. We can’t go from get vaxed, it’s super protective yet you still have to pretend you aren’t vaxed. Get vaxed and your life goes back to near normal.


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[hwin708]

I just don’t think this is it. I think it has more has to do with Collins et al from the hearing early last week. We can’t go from get vaxed, it’s super protective yet you still have to pretend you aren’t vaxed. Get vaxed and your life goes back to near normal.Agreed.

The CDC has been facing a lot of pushback - particularly FROM anti-maskers and vaccine-deniers - who say that if the vaccines really work, we wouldn't still have these restrictions. When the truth is that we continue to have these restrictions because the vaccines DO work and not enough people are getting them.

At a certain point, I think the CDC's job is to be honest about the science. They knew the vaccines were incredibly effective. Every day, more studies come out proving that. What they did not know, for certain, was how effective the vaccines were at preventing asymptomatic spread. And the recent studies show that they are, like vaccines typically are, extremely effective in that regard too. A vaccinated person who still gets infected with COVID is likely to have such a low viral load that they cannot spread the disease to others.

It is the CDC's job to make the recommendations based on what the science shows, not how radical state politicians will use this to appeal to a rabid anti-mask base. The CDC is being honest with the science when they say that vaccinated people should be very safe, both for themselves and others around them, without a mask. I think they delayed as long as they could specifically because of those more political issues, and the concerns that the anti-vaxxers would lead to another outbreak of a vaccine-resistant variant. But now the studies are showing that the vaccines are EXTREMELY effective in protecting against the variants as well. At a certain point, the CDC has to deal in the science, not in trying to control a science-resistant political party.

Even before this, many states have loosened their mask mandates. Most states were offering little enforcement of their mask mandates. The anti-maskers were flouting the rules already. This really does not change much for those people.

What I do think this does is offers another strong defense of the effectiveness of the vaccines, and hopefully offers some appeal to people who were still holding out on getting the vaccine. I have been volunteering with vaccine distribution since the very start, and like pretty much everywhere else, we now have way more supply than demand. We went from events vaccinating hundreds to canvassing the streets, trying to get 20 people that day. This past week, we had our most successful vaccination event in ages, with roughly 150 vaccinated. Some of that was landing in just the right community. But we were definitely getting feedback from this population that they didn't want to get the vaccine, but they knew they needed to just get it over with. Like they had accepted this was something they just had to do, like any other distasteful necessary task. This isn't a population that strictly follows the news, but I do think the messaging on vaccine effectiveness is spreading to some of the hesitant. By which I mean hesitant, not crazy conspiracy Gates-chip crowd.

I know this still leaves our youngest at risk, and it is scary. But I am also not sure, based on the science, that it puts them MORE at risk. At this point, given that they have to wait for vaccine approval, what seems best for them would be anything and everything that convinces more adults to get vaccinated. And I personally think this helps.

I have no idea where people would get the idea to tie this to conspiracies about the pipelines, but a quick glance at the news would tell you that only the worst PR director in history would think that wouldn't still get ample news coverage. Because it absolutely did, enough to freak people out into gas hoarding, which then led to the very gas shortage we could have easily avoided.

[Kindra178]

One more thing. A few weeks back, I read an article summarizing a study which involved polling people on the risks of Covid and whether you would be hospitalized. Pretty much the more liberal/progressive the participant was, the greater chance that person assigned a much higher hospitalization rate.

This is absolutely crazy! The chance of being hospitalized remains the same, regardless of political leaning.

I live in a very progressive area. There are people that have barely left their house for over a year. They advocated loudly for schools to remain closed, even this March / April with skyrocketing vaccination rates. They criticized people for going for a run without a mask (we aren’t an urban center, I might see 6 or 7 fellow exercisers in a 2 mile jaunt. It’s easy to cross our wide streets). People here tied their identity to following the guidelines to a T.

The teachers’ union controlled the dialogue. In august 2020, the admin at a local school polled the teachers. 66 percent of the teachers said they had a pre existing condition or cared for someone who did. It was February 2021 before anyone saw the inside of the high school. Even then, 30 some percent of the teachers got to stay home. Teachers here had the opportunity to be vaxed in January 2021. The school districts held vax clinics in February and while many took advantage, there were hundreds of empty spots.


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[twowhat?]

Agreed.

The CDC has been facing a lot of pushback - particularly FROM anti-maskers and vaccine-deniers - who say that if the vaccines really work, we wouldn't still have these restrictions. When the truth is that we continue to have these restrictions because the vaccines DO work and not enough people are getting them.

At a certain point, I think the CDC's job is to be honest about the science. They knew the vaccines were incredibly effective. Every day, more studies come out proving that. What they did not know, for certain, was how effective the vaccines were at preventing asymptomatic spread. And the recent studies show that they are, like vaccines typically are, extremely effective in that regard too. A vaccinated person who still gets infected with COVID is likely to have such a low viral load that they cannot spread the disease to others.

It is the CDC's job to make the recommendations based on what the science shows, not how radical state politicians will use this to appeal to a rabid anti-mask base. The CDC is being honest with the science when they say that vaccinated people should be very safe, both for themselves and others around them, without a mask. I think they delayed as long as they could specifically because of those more political issues, and the concerns that the anti-vaxxers would lead to another outbreak of a vaccine-resistant variant. But now the studies are showing that the vaccines are EXTREMELY effective in protecting against the variants as well. At a certain point, the CDC has to deal in the science, not in trying to control a science-resistant political party.

Even before this, many states have loosened their mask mandates. Most states were offering little enforcement of their mask mandates. The anti-maskers were flouting the rules already. This really does not change much for those people.

What I do think this does is offers another strong defense of the effectiveness of the vaccines, and hopefully offers some appeal to people who were still holding out on getting the vaccine. I have been volunteering with vaccine distribution since the very start, and like pretty much everywhere else, we now have way more supply than demand. We went from events vaccinating hundreds to canvassing the streets, trying to get 20 people that day. This past week, we had our most successful vaccination event in ages, with roughly 150 vaccinated. Some of that was landing in just the right community. But we were definitely getting feedback from this population that they didn't want to get the vaccine, but they knew they needed to just get it over with. Like they had accepted this was something they just had to do, like any other distasteful necessary task. This isn't a population that strictly follows the news, but I do think the messaging on vaccine effectiveness is spreading to some of the hesitant. By which I mean hesitant, not crazy conspiracy Gates-chip crowd.

I know this still leaves our youngest at risk, and it is scary. But I am also not sure, based on the science, that it puts them MORE at risk. At this point, given that they have to wait for vaccine approval, what seems best for them would be anything and everything that convinces more adults to get vaccinated. And I personally think this helps.

I have no idea where people would get the idea to tie this to conspiracies about the pipelines, but a quick glance at the news would tell you that only the worst PR director in history would think that wouldn't still get ample news coverage. Because it absolutely did, enough to freak people out into gas hoarding, which then led to the very gas shortage we could have easily avoided.

Thanks for posting this. I do agree with a lot of these points, and it’s a much more positive argument than where I was coming from. 😊 I think (hope) that most people will do the right thing and wear their mask if they are not vaccinated. I really really want to believe this.

I just got back from Kroger, which still requires masks for all. I saw our crossing guard and his wife...the only unmasked people in the store that I could see. I know they are anti-vax from his FB posts. and Kroger still has the big sign on the doors and the PA announcements that masks are required. These are what I would consider “good people”. And yet...it made me so angry and sad. So if “good people” like them can take advantage of the honor system and ditch their masks as unvaxxed/antivax, again my faith in humanity is lost. :(

But hwin I’m definitely glad you posted this more positive spin. My hope is that the people who won’t follow the honor system are small enough in numbers that they don’t contribute to a variant surge and put our younger children and medically fragile at risk.

I am glad that medical masks are widely available now and it does give me comfort to know that you can more easily get a KN95/KF94 to protect your unvaccinated children better. The Korean brands especially are great with kids sizes.

[JustMe]

I also think that what hwin708 makes sense and is likely. I think, if that is the case, it would have been better if they had made big announcements about the research consistently showing that vaccinated people are so unlikely to get sick and so unlikely to spread to others;instead we went from not being sure of that to some very quiet rumblings that this was discovered and I had to work to find those rumblings, to the big announcement that vaccinated people don't need to wear masks or socially distance. They could have tried to raise excitement regarding the news about the vaccines instead of going directly to the no mask/distancing necessary for vaccinated people. Also, it does make sense that they can't be dishonest about the science b/c of the problem that some unvaccinated people are the ones who won't wear masks. I think they could have stated this clearly and somewhat neutrally. "If you are not vaccinated, you can still get Covid 19 and whether or not you get symptoms, you can spread it to more vulnerable people".They have said something like this, but everything is overshadowed by the no mask/distancing for the vaccinated announcement. Not that many who refuse to believe they can become ill or spread to others would care, but its a clear message to people who do care who have family members who have not yet been able to get vaccinated (including kids) and/or are more vulnerable.

[carolinamama]

This was posted by a local ICU doc I worked with years ago. He's been working in the thick of things, has kids and is a level-headed person. It gave me great perspective and thought it may be helpful to others. He does address kids in the comments and admits it's sticky with the unvaccinated. I'm cutting and pasting so I don't do a paraphrase butcher job. In my mind, it goes along with the thinking that we have to have gain normalcy eventually and we can't keep moving the goalposts.

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The CDC says that vaccinated people can now be maskless — but “why now?” is a legitimate question. Since many people have asked, I will give my theory. I am not endorsing the plan, but I suspect it’s the reason…
CDC recently reported that only .008% of the fully vaccinated have become infected. That’s only 5800 people out of 66 million. Out of that tiny number of infections only 7% required hospitalization and only 1% died. Now, this is likely a bit of an undercount because vaccinated people are much more likely to have asymptomatic infections (and thus not get tested) but still this shows that the vaccines are incredibly, incredibly effective in preventing serious illness.
About half the people in the US are partially vaccinated and only about a third are completed vaccinated, and nobody really expects the unvaccinated will comply with the recommendation to continue masking. So why now? Well, eventually, you have to let America be America. To put a harsher truth to it, you must let the unvaccinated get infected at some point. By this being the summer when folks spend lots of time outdoors, the spread should be slower and safer. Plus, we know that hospitals typically have more capacity in the summer.
Now, I’m certainly not saying that getting infected is a good thing. We continue to see unvaccinated people die from COVID in our ICUs everyday. I personally know several previously anti-vax young adults who now have long-haul COVID and will likely have health problems for the rest of their lives. This is a nasty disease. However, everybody in the US who wants a vaccine should have relatively easy access now. If somebody isn’t vaccinated, that is their choice. This is not Israel where the majority of the population will be willingly vaccinated. At some point, you have to let America do her freedom thing, and summer is the best time to do it.
One last thing, masks continue to be powerful weapons against COVID and respiratory illnesses. I suspect that we will continue to wear them in health care settings for quite a long time to both protect us and our patients. Plus we know that vaccinations are not perfect, so many will be more comfortable wearing a mask in high risk situations. I hope that we as a country will lovingly support those that continue to wear a mask because continuing to do so is a completely reasonable and scientific choice.
As always, I’m happy to take any questions. This is also just my theory, so feel free to poke holes all in it…

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[Globetrotter]

I also think that what hwin708 makes sense and is likely. I think, if that is the case, it would have been better if they had made big announcements about the research consistently showing that vaccinated people are so unlikely to get sick and so unlikely to spread to others;instead we went from not being sure of that to some very quiet rumblings that this was discovered and I had to work to find those rumblings, to the big announcement that vaccinated people don't need to wear masks or socially distance. They could have tried to raise excitement regarding the news about the vaccines instead of going directly to the no mask/distancing necessary for vaccinated people. Also, it does make sense that they can't be dishonest about the science b/c of the problem that some unvaccinated people are the ones who won't wear masks. I think they could have stated this clearly and somewhat neutrally. "If you are not vaccinated, you can still get Covid 19 and whether or not you get symptoms, you can spread it to more vulnerable people".They have said something like this, but everything is overshadowed by the no mask/distancing for the vaccinated announcement. Not that many who refuse to believe they can become ill or spread to others would care, but its a clear message to people who do care who have family members who have not yet been able to get vaccinated (including kids) and/or are more vulnerable.

💯 Agreed

[Globetrotter]

Carolinamama, that’s an interesting perspective and a good way to put it- let the US do their “freedom thing.”

[Kestrel]

I do agree with what CarolinaMama posted; I think that is a great summary.

However - I do wish they had waited just a couple of more weeks! If this announcement was following the Memorial Day holiday, I would be a lot more comfortable.

[ang79]

I do agree with what CarolinaMama posted; I think that is a great summary.

However - I do wish they had waited just a couple of more weeks! If this announcement was following the Memorial Day holiday, I would be a lot more comfortable.

Yes, why couldn't it wait until school was out? Or until the newest age bracket of 12-15 year olds actually had time to become fully vaccinated? The timing is just odd to me.

I saw that the CDC director put our a clarification message due to all the confusion from states, companies, etc. stating that un-vaccinated people should still wear masks. But the damage is already done. DH (he attends a different church than me), went to church today and said that there were way more people there than there has been the previous weeks and most were not wearing masks. He is still one week out from the two week wait after his second shot to be considered fully vaxed and he decided he was covered good enough so didn't wear a mask, ugh! His church announced that they will partition off a section for people that still want to wear masks to keep them separate from those who aren't wearing masks, which makes no sense to me since it is still airborne. I was worried what it would look like in stores when I went out to run errands today. Thankfully Target still has a sign on the door to wear a mask and I think I only saw one person in the store without a mask on. Aldi also had a sign on the door but there were a handful of people not wearing masks there. While passing Sam's Club it seemed to be about 50/50 mix of people wearing masks or not that were entering the store. Even though I am considered fully vaxed next Saturday, I think I will still mask up when shopping there because I have a feeling that a large percentage of the people not masked are also not vaccinated.

[cuca_]

Our school sent out an email Friday saying they’re aware of the guidance but will be requiring masks for the foreseeable future so I’m grateful.


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Same with our schools. We are in a red state, but luckily our school district and the private school my youngest attends are keeping the mask mandate.

[Globetrotter]

Carolinamama, do you know the source for that post? If it’s public, would you mind sharing it so I can forward? If not, no worries :) This has been the main topic or conversation in my friend circle and I found it interesting perspective that I hadn’t considered.

[PZMommy]

Today Fauci said Elem students will need to continue masking at school in the fall as they will not be vaccinated yet. I’m pretty sure my district will require that.

I saw the CDC was trying to back pedal and clarify what they said earlier, but it is too late. They should have at least waited until after Memorial Day.

[georgiegirl]

OP here. Our district reversed their “no masks needed” policy. It seem like the superintendent made a unilateral decision relying on the Iowa Department of Public Health’s guidance recommending that mask should be optional for children in schools and daycares and didn’t consult with the board. Board members flipped out, and superintendent received hundreds of angry emails since he had promised at the board meeting on the previous Monday that the same level of masking and quarantining would continue through the end of the year.


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[KrisM]

This was posted by a local ICU doc I worked with years ago. He's been working in the thick of things, has kids and is a level-headed person. It gave me great perspective and thought it may be helpful to others. He does address kids in the comments and admits it's sticky with the unvaccinated. I'm cutting and pasting so I don't do a paraphrase butcher job. In my mind, it goes along with the thinking that we have to have gain normalcy eventually and we can't keep moving the goalposts.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The CDC says that vaccinated people can now be maskless — but “why now?” is a legitimate question. Since many people have asked, I will give my theory. I am not endorsing the plan, but I suspect it’s the reason…
CDC recently reported that only .008% of the fully vaccinated have become infected. That’s only 5800 people out of 66 million. Out of that tiny number of infections only 7% required hospitalization and only 1% died. Now, this is likely a bit of an undercount because vaccinated people are much more likely to have asymptomatic infections (and thus not get tested) but still this shows that the vaccines are incredibly, incredibly effective in preventing serious illness.
About half the people in the US are partially vaccinated and only about a third are completed vaccinated, and nobody really expects the unvaccinated will comply with the recommendation to continue masking. So why now? Well, eventually, you have to let America be America. To put a harsher truth to it, you must let the unvaccinated get infected at some point. By this being the summer when folks spend lots of time outdoors, the spread should be slower and safer. Plus, we know that hospitals typically have more capacity in the summer.
Now, I’m certainly not saying that getting infected is a good thing. We continue to see unvaccinated people die from COVID in our ICUs everyday. I personally know several previously anti-vax young adults who now have long-haul COVID and will likely have health problems for the rest of their lives. This is a nasty disease. However, everybody in the US who wants a vaccine should have relatively easy access now. If somebody isn’t vaccinated, that is their choice. This is not Israel where the majority of the population will be willingly vaccinated. At some point, you have to let America do her freedom thing, and summer is the best time to do it.
One last thing, masks continue to be powerful weapons against COVID and respiratory illnesses. I suspect that we will continue to wear them in health care settings for quite a long time to both protect us and our patients. Plus we know that vaccinations are not perfect, so many will be more comfortable wearing a mask in high risk situations. I hope that we as a country will lovingly support those that continue to wear a mask because continuing to do so is a completely reasonable and scientific choice.
As always, I’m happy to take any questions. This is also just my theory, so feel free to poke holes all in it…

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I can agree with a lot of this, other than people who want to be vaccinated have had the opportunity now. Even adults were struggling to get in just 3 weeks ago, so there are quite a few of my friends who are just now finally getting their 2nd shots and are not fully vaccinated. Obviously kids 12-15 aren't either. I think the 'why now' would be easier to answer if the 'now' had been in a few more weeks after at least adults were able to be fully vaccinated if they had wanted to.

I also read that the CDC is not changing guidelines for this school year. I hope that means masks for teachers still and masks for all students. My DS1 is fully vaccinated - hit 2 weeks after a few weeks ago. But I'm sure he's one of the few in his school to that point.

[chlobo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au2tgLjdGIs

[JBaxter]

I can agree with a lot of this, other than people who want to be vaccinated have had the opportunity now. Even adults were struggling to get in just 3 weeks ago, so there are quite a few of my friends who are just now finally getting their 2nd shots and are not fully vaccinated. Obviously kids 12-15 aren't either. I think the 'why now' would be easier to answer if the 'now' had been in a few more weeks after at least adults were able to be fully vaccinated if they had wanted to.

I also read that the CDC is not changing guidelines for this school year. I hope that means masks for teachers still and masks for all students. My DS1 is fully vaccinated - hit 2 weeks after a few weeks ago. But I'm sure he's one of the few in his school to that point.

2 neighboring school districts have already voted no mask next year Im sure ours will also. Some of the private schools never wore masks and didn't have any higher percentage of cases than the public schools

[KrisM]

2 neighboring school districts have already voted no mask next year Im sure ours will also. Some of the private schools never wore masks and didn't have any higher percentage of cases than the public schoolsAround here private schools tend to have smaller class sizes so they can keep kids apart. My friend sends her kids to private high school and they tend to have under 20 in a class room and this year spread them out even more. Our local school is typically 35 in a room. Lots went online this year so it is less but most are coming back next fall. Plus lunch is no mask and most cases have been transmitted at lunch.

I hope for no mask in the fall for the grades that have the opportunity to be vaccinated. I just think the timing could be better.

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[niccig]

Today Fauci said Elem students will need to continue masking at school in the fall as they will not be vaccinated yet. I’m pretty sure my district will require that.

I saw the CDC was trying to back pedal and clarify what they said earlier, but it is too late. They should have at least waited until after Memorial Day.

I agree that elementary will require mask as they can’t be vaccinated yet. I would like to not wear my mask, students need to see my mouth in speech therapy. Ideally, they wouldn’t wear one either, but they may not be for awhile.


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[keh602]

DH and I are wondering what's going to happen with the mask mandates in schools also. In addition to elementary students who can't be vaccinated yet, there will also be 6th graders in middle school who aren't 12 yet. Our older two each got their first dose today, so yay! But I'm already stressing about my almost 9yo in the fall.

[AngB]

I will be very (pleasantly) surprised if our schools require masks next year but I doubt they will. If the vaccine is out and widely available for under 12 in time for the school year (even just the first dose), then fine, whatever. Without it though it's just going to be quarantine after quarantine- I mean it already is- with the way our numbers are unless they are going to drop that too.

[MSWR0319]

I will be very (pleasantly) surprised if our schools require masks next year but I doubt they will. If the vaccine is out and widely available for under 12 in time for the school year (even just the first dose), then fine, whatever. Without it though it's just going to be quarantine after quarantine- I mean it already is- with the way our numbers are unless they are going to drop that too.

Totally agree with you. If shots were approved for elementary that changes the narrative. I hope our schools require masks in elementary. However, I doubt it also based on the fact that they send out an email Friday saying as soon as the sate mandate is lifted on June 2, no one is required to wear a mask on school property (luckily school will be out by then for this year). It will be quarantine after quarantine. If they don't file for the EUA until Sept like they currently think, it'll be probably at least a month till the FDA approves it, but I bet longer. I have read a couple of articles saying the FDA will look at this vaccine harder than the 12-15 because kids aren't as close to adults as the teens are. Makes sense. I'd be thrilled if we have shots by October.

[PZMommy]

Totally agree with you. If shots were approved for elementary that changes the narrative. I hope our schools require masks in elementary. However, I doubt it also based on the fact that they send out an email Friday saying as soon as the sate mandate is lifted on June 2, no one is required to wear a mask on school property (luckily school will be out by then for this year). It will be quarantine after quarantine. If they don't file for the EUA until Sept like they currently think, it'll be probably at least a month till the FDA approves it, but I bet longer. I have read a couple of articles saying the FDA will look at this vaccine harder than the 12-15 because kids aren't as close to adults as the teens are. Makes sense. I'd be thrilled if we have shots by October.

Just today Fauci was still saying not until winter or early 2022 for the under 12 age group.

[AngB]

Just today Fauci was still saying not until winter or early 2022 for the under 12 age group.

Not that he's an expert on the matter or anything but this was what our ped was thinking too. :(

[wendibird22]

My tiny school district currently has 3 teachers with COVID. So the "no mask" in schools is just as much a risk for teacher to student transmission as it is to student to student. And while my first reaction is "why the heck are these 3 employees not vaccinated?!" I know that one of them is pregnant and chose not to get vaccinated while pregnant...unsure if this was on doctor's advice.

[carolinamama]

I will be very (pleasantly) surprised if our schools require masks next year but I doubt they will. If the vaccine is out and widely available for under 12 in time for the school year (even just the first dose), then fine, whatever. Without it though it's just going to be quarantine after quarantine- I mean it already is- with the way our numbers are unless they are going to drop that too.

I agree, I'll be very pleasantly surprised if masks are required next year and I'm trying to become mentally prepared for it. We will have quarantine after quarantine unless states do away with quarantine requirements and let Covid rip through. I'm not advocating for that approach but the writing is on the wall for many locales. Not such a problem for the older kids who had the opportunity for vaccination but younger kids aren't there yet.

[carolinamama]

Carolinamama, do you know the source for that post? If it’s public, would you mind sharing it so I can forward? If not, no worries :) This has been the main topic or conversation in my friend circle and I found it interesting perspective that I hadn’t considered.

It was a post on FB. He's a local pulmonologist/critical care specialist who has been posting throughout the pandemic. The discussion in the comments is also good and he addresses kids further.
https://www.facebook.com/davak

[bisous]

NYT's daily newsletter has an epidemiologist that states that for kids COVID is not unlike the flu...I feel like this is not really consistent with what I've heard. I have fears about MIS-C and also that perfectly healthy children sometimes have severe consequences from COVID (though I guess that's true with flu too....) I want to believe this. I guess maybe I'm feeling more hopeful this morning? That if we continue to employ masks and distancing PERSONALLY that we'll be less affected the newly emboldened unvaccinated, COVID-denying crowd now free to wander about with no masks??

[jgenie]

For those with unvaccinated kids at home, how will you be handling masking now. Vaccinated adults in our circle are now not wearing masks when in the company of other vaccinated adults. I’ve still worn my mask because I think it stinks to require my kids to keep their masks on while I get to take mine off. So what are you doing in the company of your unvaccinated kids?

For those with unvaccinated kids at home, how are you handling post travel? My DH travels extensively for work. He has been home through the pandemic but will soon be back to traveling. His travels take him to areas outside the U.S. He is vaccinated. Are we really ok just to have him come back and rejoin the family unit without us masking? I believe he will need to test before returning to the U.S. Travel in the U.S. treated just like going to the office with no need for masking or testing afterwards?

[gymnbomb]

For those with unvaccinated kids at home, how will you be handling masking now. Vaccinated adults in our circle are now not wearing masks when in the company of other vaccinated adults. I’ve still worn my mask because I think it stinks to require my kids to keep their masks on while I get to take mine off. So what are you doing in the company of your unvaccinated kids?

For those with unvaccinated kids at home, how are you handling post travel? My DH travels extensively for work. He has been home through the pandemic but will soon be back to traveling. His travels take him to areas outside the U.S. He is vaccinated. Are we really ok just to have him come back and rejoin the family unit without us masking? I believe he will need to test before returning to the U.S. Travel in the U.S. treated just like going to the office with no need for masking or testing afterwards?

We will continue to wear masks in situations our kids need to wear them in (so not at the local uncrowded playground, but when we go into the grocery store or to indoor swim lessons). I think it is unreasonable to expect a 3 and 7 year old to continue wearing masks without complaining when they see their parents not wearing them. But I may wear my most comfy cloth masks to more places rather than my KF-94's. If my office drops the mask mandate (I don't have to wear one in my private office, but do when I'm walking in and out of the building, going to the restroom, etc.) I won't wear one there since my kids won't be there. There will also be places where I'm just not comfortable yet with the idea of being indoors unmasked myself even though I'm fully vaccinated.

[MSWR0319]

Our school sent out a follow up email to their Friday email. Now everyone still has to mask at school because the governor said there aren't enough kids protected. Amen. I hope he continues that in the fall for the elementary. Our school is too stupid to do it on their own.

I just had the conversation last night with a friend about what we were going to do mask wise. She and I are on the same level as far as masking, vaccines, etc. We've actually become good friends throughout this pandemic because we believe in the same things. We are both the most comfortable continuing to mask indoors until our children can get vaccinated. We both have one who just became elgible and already have their first shots, and one that can't get the shot yet but should in the next round this winter. I will ask DH to stay masked at work meetings if he goes in to any if not everywhere is vaccinated. Their office is very strict about masking so I'm curious to see how they handle it.

[jse107]

https://www.aappublications.org/news/2021/05/04/pfizer-covid-vaccine-children-050421
Pfizer will be requesting FDA approval in Sept for 2-11. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[ang79]

Boo, now Target has hopped on the bandwagon of not requiring masks. I don’t often take my kids shopping with me, but that was one store like felt ok taking them too. First shots for them tonight then counting down 5 weeks!

We haven’t been to church since things shut down last spring because I wasn’t comfortable being surrounded by 100 other people inside even with masks on. I was hoping to resume this summer once more people are vaccinated. I’m curious to see how my church handles masks now. I think it will still take me some time to get used to not wearing a mask into a store or large building with lots of people.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

For those with unvaccinated kids at home, how will you be handling masking now. Vaccinated adults in our circle are now not wearing masks when in the company of other vaccinated adults. I’ve still worn my mask because I think it stinks to require my kids to keep their masks on while I get to take mine off. So what are you doing in the company of your unvaccinated kids?

For those with unvaccinated kids at home, how are you handling post travel? My DH travels extensively for work. He has been home through the pandemic but will soon be back to traveling. His travels take him to areas outside the U.S. He is vaccinated. Are we really ok just to have him come back and rejoin the family unit without us masking? I believe he will need to test before returning to the U.S. Travel in the U.S. treated just like going to the office with no need for masking or testing afterwards?

yesterday was our first dry run with this. I kept my mask on for the sae thinking you had- kept mine on since ds2 had to. But, I don't think he really cares what I do and would be totally fine if I took it off. I do put mine on if I am around kids in close proximity (I worked a yard sale and had to interact with littles exchanging money, talking about items). But, if we were just hanging out in the yard, mask would be off (and I have been doing that for a long time).

I think your dh's travel isn't really a big issue. If he is vaccinated, he is really a lot less likely to transmit it. I think that there just has to be a line where there could be some risks but they aren't worth wearing a mask full time around each other for.

[AnnieW625]

My Dd2 is 11 so we will continue with what is required by law. Right now that is anything indoors. Dd2 is very good about wearing a mask and will still wear it outdoors although sometimes she complains about it.

If my spouse were traveling I wouldn’t require him to quarantine if he was vaccinated. Masks are still required on airplanes and trains, which is a plus. If he needed to taxi/uber he would wear one then too. If he wasn’t vaccinated then I would put my foot down as much as possible with travel (but if the job depended on it I don’t know how successful I would be). I wouldn’t make my spouse wear a mask in our home, and while he follows the rules he wouldn’t want to wear a mask in his own home and I respect that. I wouldn’t want to wear a mask in my home either.

I am in California so we will probably have mask rules until “that magic unknown herd immunity/vaccination level” is reached. I don’t believe the Governor when he says California will be full reopened and mask free as of 6/15. Would I prefer that everything is open and mask free by 6/15? Yes, but I am a huge skeptic. The governor will be swayed to change his mind....as he has done many times in the past year with little or no reason. If he wasn’t facing a recall he wouldn’t have made an arbitrary random date of 6/15.....California would still be 100% locked down until “that magic unknown herd immunity/vaccination level” was reached. I am not a pessimist, but with California’s handling of this virus it has made me one.


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[bisous]

Boo, now Target has hopped on the bandwagon of not requiring masks. I don’t often take my kids shopping with me, but that was one store like felt ok taking them too. First shots for them tonight then counting down 5 weeks!

We haven’t been to church since things shut down last spring because I wasn’t comfortable being surrounded by 100 other people inside even with masks on. I was hoping to resume this summer once more people are vaccinated. I’m curious to see how my church handles masks now. I think it will still take me some time to get used to not wearing a mask into a store or large building with lots of people.


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Because I'm here in CA, I have a lot of reason to suspect that my children will be safe in school for sure for the rest of the year but in the Fall too. I'm so grateful for that. I feel like church will be our pain point too. My church will absolutely adhere to local regulations but if those drop, it is up to each individual congregation. I hope that they'll choose to "suffer the children" and continue to wear masks. But it is hard when a certain component of the congregation actually feels that masks HARM children.

[mom2binsd]

A close friend just posted that a 17 year old died of covid related complications (no specific comorbidities were mentioned in the article, however a photo of the teen was posted and many will make many conclude he has at least one risk factor (weight)). This is in a town that has many anti maskers, lots of people not wanting to vax, She has been very vocal about the need to treat covid as still real. It's very sad that a teen has lost his life, she said many people in that town have not been enforcing masks for ages even though it's required by our state. She has been shopping elsewhere and was vaxxed ages ago. So many of her neighbors aren't getting vaxxed because of conspiracy theories. The latest cdc announcement has only given more people reason not to mask up.

[twowhat?]

For those with unvaccinated kids at home, how will you be handling masking now. Vaccinated adults in our circle are now not wearing masks when in the company of other vaccinated adults. I’ve still worn my mask because I think it stinks to require my kids to keep their masks on while I get to take mine off. So what are you doing in the company of your unvaccinated kids?

For those with unvaccinated kids at home, how are you handling post travel? My DH travels extensively for work. He has been home through the pandemic but will soon be back to traveling. His travels take him to areas outside the U.S. He is vaccinated. Are we really ok just to have him come back and rejoin the family unit without us masking? I believe he will need to test before returning to the U.S. Travel in the U.S. treated just like going to the office with no need for masking or testing afterwards?

DH and I have discussed this in case he's forced back to traveling for work earlier than ideal. Basically what we landed on is that his risks as a vaccinated person (both catching and spreading) are very low, but to make the risk even lower, he would take all precautions when traveling - masking in all public indoor spaces and outdoors when unable to maintain social distancing, being aware of where his hands are (not on his face!) and washing hands well, and wearing a KN95 on the plane or any public transportation. And avoiding indoor meals with coworkers in crowded restaurants..he would just tell them "we have unvaccinated kids at home and until they are fully vaccinated, I'm going to be extra careful."

[AngB]

So I had to run into Walmart this morning with my younger kids (thanks preschool pajama day last minute notice). I was pretty stressed about it actually (I have probably been in stores about 5 x only since last spring), DS 5 and DD 2 both wore masks and kept them on no problem (so did I though vaccinated), I was really really happy to see about 90% of people wearing masks though. I deliberately picked the less rural WalMart (we have 2 like 15 min apart and even though just a few miles I have always noticed the more rural part is worse.) Granted it was 9AM on a Tuesday but still I was pleasantly surprised to see more masks then not.

[MSWR0319]

I ran into Meijer last night around 5:30 in a state that dropped their mask mandate a month or two ago. I thought Meijer was requiring masks, but the sign on the door said you didn't have to if you were vaccinated. I was very pleasantly surprised at the amount of people masking. Most people I saw without masks were young people in their 20s or 30s I would guess.

[KrisM]

I ran into Meijer last night around 5:30 in a state that dropped their mask mandate a month or two ago. I thought Meijer was requiring masks, but the sign on the door said you didn't have to if you were vaccinated. I was very pleasantly surprised at the amount of people masking. Most people I saw without masks were young people in their 20s or 30s I would guess.Meijer said they'd require then and then changed to not. I haven't been in mine yet.

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[twowhat?]

And now, from what I believe is part of the trickle-down effect of the CDC guidance, our governor prohibited certain government entities from requiring masks after June 4. INCLUDING SCHOOLS. And my district decided yesterday that NO MASKS will be required in ANY GRADE next school year.

If I had a kid in elementary, or in middle school not old enough for the vaccine, I don't even know what I'd do. For starters, I'd cry. UGH.

[PZMommy]

And now, from what I believe is part of the trickle-down effect of the CDC guidance, our governor prohibited certain government entities from requiring masks after June 4. INCLUDING SCHOOLS. And my district decided yesterday that NO MASKS will be required in ANY GRADE next school year.

If I had a kid in elementary, or in middle school not old enough for the vaccine, I don't even know what I'd do. For starters, I'd cry. UGH.

That is directly against what the CDC has said. Even the CDC has said masks will need to be required in schools next year for kids not old enough to be vaccinated. The CDC messed this one up big time!

[California]

I personally feel like if my kids catch it, there’s a good chance I won’t even know. All the kids who’ve tested positive at my school site, and my kids’ school sites, have either not had symptoms or at the most had minor cold-like symptoms. They were only tested because their parents tested positive. I bet more kids have already had it than we realize.

[Kindra178]

And now, from what I believe is part of the trickle-down effect of the CDC guidance, our governor prohibited certain government entities from requiring masks after June 4. INCLUDING SCHOOLS. And my district decided yesterday that NO MASKS will be required in ANY GRADE next school year.

If I had a kid in elementary, or in middle school not old enough for the vaccine, I don't even know what I'd do. For starters, I'd cry. UGH.

Honestly, I think he's following the science. The kids aren't getting sick. My kid had the sniffles, for one night. He's much sicker this past week with an upper respiratory infection, wheezing, waking up unable to talk due to asthma. And no he didn't have Covid, he got tested.

[bisous]

Honestly, I think he's following the science. The kids aren't getting sick. My kid had the sniffles, for one night. He's much sicker this past week with an upper respiratory infection, wheezing, waking up unable to talk due to asthma. And no he didn't have Covid, he got tested.

I get where you are coming from. I might even sort of be moving in that direction...but for me it comes down to the fact that we're SO close to getting these kids covered. I just cannot see justification for dropping mask mandates NOW with the finish line sorta in sight. I am less worried about my own kids who don't have any preexisting conditions (speaking of my two youngers and not my teenaged DS with type 1 diabetes!) but there ARE kids out there that are vulnerable. DS1 and I have friends who are just a few years younger who are unprotected. I think we need to do better to protect them. I'm not talking about anything except continuing to mask through the end of the school year and at the start of the next until a vaccine is approved for younger school aged kids.

[bisous]

Honestly, I think he's following the science. The kids aren't getting sick. My kid had the sniffles, for one night. He's much sicker this past week with an upper respiratory infection, wheezing, waking up unable to talk due to asthma. And no he didn't have Covid, he got tested.

I get where you are coming from. I might even sort of be moving in that direction...but for me it comes down to the fact that we're SO close to getting these kids covered. I just cannot see justification for dropping mask mandates NOW with the finish line sorta in sight. I am less worried about my own kids who don't have any preexisting conditions (speaking of my two youngers and not my teenaged DS with type 1 diabetes!) but there ARE kids out there that are vulnerable. DS1 and I have friends who are just a few years younger who are unprotected. I think we need to do better to protect them. I'm not talking about anything except continuing to mask through the end of the school year and at the start of the next until a vaccine is approved for younger school aged kids.

[ahisma]

I personally feel like if my kids catch it, there’s a good chance I won’t even know. All the kids who’ve tested positive at my school site, and my kids’ school sites, have either not had symptoms or at the most had minor cold-like symptoms. They were only tested because their parents tested positive. I bet more kids have already had it than we realize.

I agree, but there are always exceptions. We have seen many MIS-C cases locally. Certainly the very large majority of kids have mild symptoms at best, but there is a level of risk of very serious complications. One of DH's students has been physically unable to attend school all year due to COVID impacts that may be lifelong. Another local child had multiple COVID-related amputations.

[Kindra178]

I just saw this:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/amp/2021/05/study-number-of-kids-hospitalized-for-covid-is-overcounted.html


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[ahisma]

I just saw this:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/amp/2021/05/study-number-of-kids-hospitalized-for-covid-is-overcounted.html


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This is in line with what I've heard anecdotally from local health dept. folks - that there is not a differentiation between being hospitalized FOR COVID and being hospitalized WITH COVID. Of course, sometimes it is an impossible distinction, but other times, not. For example, if it is due to injuries sustained in a car crash, that would indicated "with COVID" rather than "for COVID", but the reporting is the same.

[twowhat?]

I get where you are coming from. I might even sort of be moving in that direction...but for me it comes down to the fact that we're SO close to getting these kids covered. I just cannot see justification for dropping mask mandates NOW with the finish line sorta in sight. I am less worried about my own kids who don't have any preexisting conditions (speaking of my two youngers and not my teenaged DS with type 1 diabetes!) but there ARE kids out there that are vulnerable. DS1 and I have friends who are just a few years younger who are unprotected. I think we need to do better to protect them. I'm not talking about anything except continuing to mask through the end of the school year and at the start of the next until a vaccine is approved for younger school aged kids.

This is how I feel too. There are kids who are at higher risk, even though overall the risk to younger kids is small. It's because we are SO close. These families have been careful and waited for SO long and the finish line is in sight...why can't we just keep those masks on a little longer in school until 5+ all have a chance to get vaccinated?? It just seems like the nice thing to do.

One of the doctors I follow has family in India and is pretty close to what is going on there...and in India the hospitalized kids are sicker than in India's first wave. Kids here may not get seriously ill often, but they are transmitting the virus and with transmissions will come continued virus mutations and with mutations comes the possibility of variants that current vaccines aren't effective against which puts the adults/elderly at risk all over again. Slowing down transmissions will also help buy time for science to develop safe and effective boosters. I do think we are moving in the direction of "regular boosters will be needed".

[Philly Mom]

I get where you are coming from. I might even sort of be moving in that direction...but for me it comes down to the fact that we're SO close to getting these kids covered. I just cannot see justification for dropping mask mandates NOW with the finish line sorta in sight. I am less worried about my own kids who don't have any preexisting conditions (speaking of my two youngers and not my teenaged DS with type 1 diabetes!) but there ARE kids out there that are vulnerable. DS1 and I have friends who are just a few years younger who are unprotected. I think we need to do better to protect them. I'm not talking about anything except continuing to mask through the end of the school year and at the start of the next until a vaccine is approved for younger school aged kids.

I feel the same way. In school, I really don’t see the harm in masks. Outside at recess, I would be fine by fall to be maskless. By then, hopefully case loads will be really low.

FWIW, my friend’s kids just both tested positive. One kid has been quite sick with a high fever. The fully vaccinated father also got sick. Flu like symptoms. The kids were exposed to their cousins who they were around without masks. The cousins tested positive the day after they were together. Symptoms appeared the day they tested positive. The family will end up being in quarantine for 17 days before it will end. To avoid the positive test and 17 days or more of quarantine, masks are really not a big deal.


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[carolinamama]

I personally feel like if my kids catch it, there’s a good chance I won’t even know. All the kids who’ve tested positive at my school site, and my kids’ school sites, have either not had symptoms or at the most had minor cold-like symptoms. They were only tested because their parents tested positive. I bet more kids have already had it than we realize.

I think you are correct statistically. Here's an article about a study out of Mississippi looking at the rate of infection in kids. https://www.umc.edu/news/News_Articles/2021/03/COVID-Antibodies-Children.html

The risk is not zero but it's not enormous either for our unvaccinated youngers. I'm glad we will be finishing up the school year in masks but will be surprised if they are mandatory in the fall. Our governor lifted the indoor mask mandate on Friday afternoon. I've been in Target twice, a grocery store, Trader Joe's, gymnastics gym, Dollar Tree and a dog grooming salon. I'm gradually seeing fewer masks as the days go on. I still believe it would have been better in a few weeks when vaccine numbers are higher, but I've accepted it at this point.

[jgenie]

I feel the same way. In school, I really don’t see the harm in masks. Outside at recess, I would be fine by fall to be maskless. By then, hopefully case loads will be really low.

FWIW, my friend’s kids just both tested positive. One kid has been quite sick with a high fever. The fully vaccinated father also got sick. Flu like symptoms. The kids were exposed to their cousins who they were around without masks. The cousins tested positive the day after they were together. Symptoms appeared the day they tested positive. The family will end up being in quarantine for 17 days before it will end. To avoid the positive test and 17 days or more of quarantine, masks are really not a big deal.

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This is what I’m afraid of. I have no idea who my kids friends have been around and what they’ve been doing. It’s impossible to say anyone is in the clear so not masking seems reckless to me. I’m curious if the dad tested positive as well. I agree masks are not a big deal to keep kids safe until they too can be vaccinated.

[Philly Mom]

This is what I’m afraid of. I have no idea who my kids friends have been around and what they’ve been doing. It’s impossible to say anyone is in the clear so not masking seems reckless to me. I’m curious if the dad tested positive as well. I agree masks are not a big deal to keep kids safe until they too can be vaccinated.

He did test positive. And the cousins had been pretty careful prior to them getting sick. It was all a freak occurrence but masks would have prevented it probably.


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[petesgirl]

Because I'm here in CA, I have a lot of reason to suspect that my children will be safe in school for sure for the rest of the year but in the Fall too. I'm so grateful for that. I feel like church will be our pain point too. My church will absolutely adhere to local regulations but if those drop, it is up to each individual congregation. I hope that they'll choose to "suffer the children" and continue to wear masks. But it is hard when a certain component of the congregation actually feels that masks HARM children.

Oh church!! I'm in the Relief Society presidency here and we are just starting back to 2nd hr in June. We have decided to do both meetings in person and over zoom still because a lot of people aren't comfortable coming back yet. But the outrage from some people that we are 'enabling irrational fears' (direct quote!) by allowing a virtual option is UNBELIEVABLE to me. I just don't get some people.

[PZMommy]

Oh church!! I'm in the Relief Society here and we are just starting back to 2nd hr in June. We have decided to do both meetings in person and over zoom still because a lot of people aren't comfortable coming back yet. But the outrage from some people that we are 'enabling irrational fears' (direct quote!) by allowing a virtual option is UNBELIEVABLE to me. I just don't get some people.

My district has already announced they will offer a fully virtual option for families that want it next year. It will be taught by teachers who are unable to return to the classroom due to medical issues. They will be prioritizing the full in person classes though. Right now I have 50/50, but all but one of my virtual families are willing to return in person next year.

[niccig]

My district has already announced they will offer a fully virtual option for families that want it next year. It will be taught by teachers who are unable to return to the classroom due to medical issues. They will be prioritizing the full in person classes though. Right now I have 50/50, but all but one of my virtual families are willing to return in person next year.

I want to know the details on this. It’s difficult for us all to be split between in-person and online.


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[georgiegirl]

And now my state banned masks mandates immediately. So schools in our state cannot require masks. Neither can cities

[PunkyBoo]

Just got an email from the grade 7-12 district that, at least for this summer programming, masks and distancing are required for staff and students on any district property. They have been online only all year, but are offering a few in person summer programs. We have a couple of options to move the kids to online or independent studies schools/programs in the district, but the regular schools will be fully in person. I'm sure they'll issue info on protocols for the fall as summer progresses. Both of my kids will be fully vaccinated first week of June, but I'm fine with them wearing masks if that's what the school requires.

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[DualvansMommy]

My governor announced they’re removing the virtual option for families this fall. In light of that, it’s very likely elementary schools would still require masks, I hope so since those kids are still unprotected. I do wonder about the HS though...


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[PZMommy]

I want to know the details on this. It’s difficult for us all to be split between in-person and online.


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Me too! This double schedule is ridiculous!! I didn’t send my own kids back. But it will be like everything else the past 4 months. Beutner makes big promises, but no idea on the details to follow through. I’m still waiting for weekly covid testing on site that was promised and that he talks about weekly. We are averaging every 3 weeks! I currently have 2 students in quarantine, but they tested outside of school, so they aren’t counted on the demographics he shows.

[AngB]

And now my state banned masks mandates immediately. So schools in our state cannot require masks. Neither can cities

That's ridiculous.

Are the schools that are dropping masks also dropping quarantines? I feel like that's the only way banning masks will "work", at least in our area, otherwise kids will be constantly out from quarantines. (DS is released from our 7th quarantine (modified) today.)

[gatorsmom]

My governor announced they’re removing the virtual option for families this fall. In light of that, it’s very likely elementary schools would still require masks, I hope so since those kids are still unprotected. I do wonder about the HS though...


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This surprises me. I really thought opportunities for virtual learning would be a COVID19 change that would stick around. After all, COVID isn’t going away completely even with herd immunity. We don’t know how the variants are going to affect society yet. There may be populations of people that need to be quarantined to prevent variant spread. There are certainly other cases when a virtual learning option would benefit a school- kids traveling, options for kids who are bullied, etc.

[SnuggleBuggles]

.

This surprises me. I really thought opportunities for virtual learning would be a COVID19 change that would stick around. After all, COVID isn’t going away completely even with herd immunity. We don’t know how the variants are going to affect society yet. There may be populations of people that need to be quarantined to prevent variant spread. There are certainly other cases when a virtual learning option would benefit a school- kids traveling, options for kids who are bullied, etc.

I think it is extremely hard on the teachers to offer both so unless your school has teachers that can't come into the building and want to support virtual then I think it's a non starter in most places. There are plenty of cyber schools already in existence to support families that prefer virtual. Our school district has provided a virtual only option for years and there are a ton of charters.

[o_mom]

.

This surprises me. I really thought opportunities for virtual learning would be a COVID19 change that would stick around. After all, COVID isn’t going away completely even with herd immunity. We don’t know how the variants are going to affect society yet. There may be populations of people that need to be quarantined to prevent variant spread. There are certainly other cases when a virtual learning option would benefit a school- kids traveling, options for kids who are bullied, etc.

Our district has not said for sure, but it looks like there will be no virtual option that you can just elect - it would have to be justified with a 504 or IEP. I think the teachers will continue to use the online platform to post assignments and facilitate that work when kids are home, but they are not planning a virtual lesson for those kids. A nearby district has said that any virtual option will be a canned curriculum only - it will not have any district teachers other than to monitor progress. There are at least 3 fully virtual charter schools in our state, so if someone wants that, they can enroll in one of those. OTOH, a local private school has said that while they will not have a full virtual option, they will make use of the technology to let kids zoom into the class when they are home sick/quarantined, assuming they are up to it.

[o_mom]

double post

[carolinamama]

.

This surprises me. I really thought opportunities for virtual learning would be a COVID19 change that would stick around. After all, COVID isn’t going away completely even with herd immunity. We don’t know how the variants are going to affect society yet. There may be populations of people that need to be quarantined to prevent variant spread. There are certainly other cases when a virtual learning option would benefit a school- kids traveling, options for kids who are bullied, etc.

I suspect more readily available virtual schooling opportunities will be a sticking COVID change but it may look different. Our district originally offered a 21/22 virtual option for the reasons you gave that would run out of each individual school as it has this year. After looking at enrollment numbers, there aren't enough virtual students to justify each school maintaining their own virtual program so the district will operate one centrally. Our local Catholic diocese is essentially doing the same - forming and operating a virtual program so students have the option but in-person teachers aren't pulled in both directions. To attend, students must unenroll from their school and enroll in the virtual school; no separate application process for existing students. I'm seriously thinking about it for DS2, depending on his sports schedule for the upcoming year. I'm still in denial that we are even contemplating school decisions based on sports but going from virtual to in-person in the middle of the year caused a noticeable increase in stress and decrease in sleep for my two highly competitive kiddos that already miss school for sports travel. Online assignments has already been great for that, enabling makeup work to be more easily done.

People like the virtual option with ties to something local. If we switch DS2, we know the curriculum and it's not an abstract program run online somewhere by someone. Hopefully more fluid school flexibility will stay.

[carolinamama]

double post

[carolinacool]

This year, our system offered its own virtual school plus remote options attached to the majority of elementary and middle schools. It had not planned to offer the second option, but had a ton of complaints from parents who wanted to be remote and still remain attached to their home school. For elementary, the schools reassigned staff to focus on remote so that no classroom teacher had to do both. (Specials did.)

The school system has already said that next year, the only remote option will be the virtual academy. But of course people don't listen, so I'm already anticipating the onslaught on complaints in July about "why can't we stay remote at our own school?!"

[gatorsmom]

People like the virtual option with ties to something local. If we switch DS2, we know the curriculum and it's not an abstract program run online somewhere by someone.

And that is certainly the drawback to a separate, online school. Unless there are online reviews or you are a parent who is knowledgeable about the subject (and have the time to review their coursework), how do you know if they are doing a decent job of teaching your kids???

[georgiegirl]

That's ridiculous.

Are the schools that are dropping masks also dropping quarantines? I feel like that's the only way banning masks will "work", at least in our area, otherwise kids will be constantly out from quarantines. (DS is released from our 7th quarantine (modified) today.)

No quarantines. So a kid can be exposed and come to school the next day without a mask. Our state says it’s just like any other childhood illness. Don’t come to school with a fever or vomiting
Otherwise, whatever [emoji2356]

And no online option next year. Parents are freaking out. And there’s bullying going on at school now with masks v. no masks. What a disaster. We only have 9 more days of class. Not sure why the incompetent republicans had to force this change right now.


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[bisous]

No quarantines. So a kid can be exposed and come to school the next day without a mask. Our state says it’s just like any other childhood illness. Don’t come to school with a fever or vomiting
Otherwise, whatever [emoji2356]

And no online option next year. Parents are freaking out. And there’s bullying going on at school now with masks v. no masks. What a disaster. We only have 9 more days of class. Not sure why the incompetent republicans had to force this change right now.


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I just have to say, I'm so upset for you. That's just awful.

[jgenie]

No quarantines. So a kid can be exposed and come to school the next day without a mask. Our state says it’s just like any other childhood illness. Don’t come to school with a fever or vomiting
Otherwise, whatever [emoji2356]

And no online option next year. Parents are freaking out. And there’s bullying going on at school now with masks v. no masks. What a disaster. We only have 9 more days of class. Not sure why the incompetent republicans had to force this change right now.


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I’m so sorry! How can this be happening this far into this???!!!


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[MSWR0319]

No quarantines. So a kid can be exposed and come to school the next day without a mask. Our state says it’s just like any other childhood illness. Don’t come to school with a fever or vomiting
Otherwise, whatever [emoji2356]

And no online option next year. Parents are freaking out. And there’s bullying going on at school now with masks v. no masks. What a disaster. We only have 9 more days of class. Not sure why the incompetent republicans had to force this change right now.


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What the what?? That is ridiculous! Do you think you're going to send your youngest back next fall or find another option with no online and no masking?

[georgiegirl]

I’m so sorry! How can this be happening this far into this???!!!


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I’ve heard reports from friends that their masked kids are getting bullied and made fun of at school today

[jgenie]

I’ve heard reports from friends that their masked kids are getting bullied and made fun of at school today

Good grief!! I just am so sorry kids are going through that.

[marymoo86]

In pre-print... interesting findings

"We find higher student COVID-19 rates in schools and districts with lower in-person density but no correlations in staff rates. Ventilation upgrades are correlated with lower rates in Florida but not in New York. We do not find any correlations with mask mandates. All rates are lower in the spring, after teacher vaccination is underway"

https://t.co/wjo6BPSU45?amp=1

[chlobo]

In pre-print... interesting findings

"We find higher student COVID-19 rates in schools and districts with lower in-person density but no correlations in staff rates. Ventilation upgrades are correlated with lower rates in Florida but not in New York. We do not find any correlations with mask mandates. All rates are lower in the spring, after teacher vaccination is underway"

https://t.co/wjo6BPSU45?amp=1

That first part did not hold true in my small, low density school and those other small communities around me. We had very low rates of Covid in the school (we only have one). During the couple of weeks when Covid rates were highest in my town and our regional high school partner town, the public health nurse said that what was driving the surge were parents who had gone back to their offices and were bringing Covid back home to their kids or small gatherings outside of school. There was little, if any, in school transmission.

[chlobo]

oops. Duplicate

[o_mom]

And then we have a study from the CDC showing that mask use and ventilation improvements are associated with a reduced number of cases in schools.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7021e1.htm

"Adjusting for county-level incidence, COVID-19 incidence was 37% lower in schools that required teachers and staff members to use masks, and 39% lower in schools that improved ventilation, compared with schools that did not use these prevention strategies."

[chlobo]

Interesting article about the droplet vs. aerosol debate and why it took so long to get it right: https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/?fbclid=IwAR0vU_bkTnjaxMeeSvnrFUDqMrekYCu3Wqh-Q9C2HT04XW2ot1qRIBv2eAw

[SnuggleBuggles]

Ds2 had an outdoor performance today. I've always been a bit less strict on masks outdoors but not in crowds, like this situation. The under 12yo kids were running around like it was a normal day; I'd say 5% of kids had masks on. It was really disappointing. I hope that the adults without masks were vaccinated but I wish that ere had just been a rule in place to wear masks the whole time. They did have masks while performing but seemed to have little point when right up to show time the kids were playing in a maskless gaggle. Masks have been required for soccer so it was surprising to see this event run the way it was.

[jgenie]

We picked up lunch and ate in the car outside a mall today. I cannot tell you how many kids under 12 years old were going into the store without masks. It’s like the pandemic never happened.

[ett]

It’s like the pandemic never happened.

Yes! I was telling DH that it seems like Covid just disappeared in the last week. The CDC was telling us a few months ago to double mask and now suddenly it seems no one has to wear a mask anywhere anymore. So what happened to the variants? I was expecting that it would be a more gradual ease of restrictions, not suddenly dropping restrictions all at once.

[MSWR0319]

We picked up lunch and ate in the car outside a mall today. I cannot tell you how many kids under 12 years old were going into the store without masks. It’s like the pandemic never happened.

Yep. My sister in law asked DH if she and the kids could come visit after flying completely across the country to a family reunion. I told DH is she comes our kids will not be in the house with them, and they are not staying with us. They take no precautions for their kids and haven't done so since it all started. I'm sure it'll become a big battle if she decides to come because DH won't stand up to her, and then I'll look like the mean SIL for making DS2 come home with me every night (they would stay at our lake house, and we'd drive home).

[nfceagles]

Interesting article about the droplet vs. aerosol debate and why it took so long to get it right: https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/?fbclid=IwAR0vU_bkTnjaxMeeSvnrFUDqMrekYCu3Wqh-Q9C2HT04XW2ot1qRIBv2eAw

This article was longer than I’d anticipated but I got sucked in and found it fascinating. A great explanation of why there has been confusion over whether COVID is transmitted by an aerosol route.


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[NCGrandma]

Since the new CDC guidance and relaxation of our state restrictions, I’ve been sticking pretty close to home. Virtually everyone at my CCRC has been fully vaccinated for several months, so mask-wearing by residents hasn’t been required for a little while. But we’ve been reading that many local places are not requiring masks, at the same time capacity limits are being lifted — not an appealing prospect.

Yesterday my friend and I went to Wegmans. It was more crowded than when we usually go, but we were surprised to see only a small handful of people without masks. We'll be back! (Well, since the local excitement about Wegmans coming to town still hasn’t died down, we will definitely be back. It’s really nice!)


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[ged]

Interesting article about the droplet vs. aerosol debate and why it took so long to get it right: https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/?fbclid=IwAR0vU_bkTnjaxMeeSvnrFUDqMrekYCu3Wqh-Q9C2HT04XW2ot1qRIBv2eAw

great article!! thanks for sharing

[ged]

My Dad visited an indoor conference in Texas and the sign said "no masks allowed." That is much too much, IMO.

[bisous]

My Dad visited an indoor conference in Texas and the sign said "no masks allowed." That is much too much, IMO.

So much for freedom as the argument, right? Wow!

[Kindra178]

My Dad visited an indoor conference in Texas and the sign said "no masks allowed." That is much too much, IMO.

That's just crazy and stupid.

[Globetrotter]

My Dad visited an indoor conference in Texas and the sign said "no masks allowed." That is much too much, IMO.

Ridiculous! And yeah what happened to freedom?

[JBaxter]

Gulf cost of Florida seems to be over Covid I see the occasional mask wearer kids are still masked at school but haven’t been for youth sports in a while the soccer team is planning a year end get together at the beach I can say with the utmost certainty there will be no masks

[MSWR0319]

So much for freedom as the argument, right? Wow!

So true!

[nfceagles]

Gulf cost of Florida seems to be over Covid I see the occasional mask wearer kids are still masked at school but haven’t been for youth sports in a while the soccer team is planning a year end get together at the beach I can say with the utmost certainty there will be no masks

That isn’t that different than here in CT. Masked inside school. Mostly masked at stores. But we haven’t really been wearing them outside for a long time. Last summer at the beach a few masks, and I only saw one last weekend when my DS went with a group of friends. No masks for HS soccer last fall when you were on the field. Indoor winter soccer did require them. Spring outdoor sports no masks. We did have an outbreak among the baseball team but I don’t know if that was from socializing or playing.


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[PZMommy]

My Dad visited an indoor conference in Texas and the sign said "no masks allowed." That is much too much, IMO.

People wore masks before covid, if they had immune disorders or were going through various cancer treatments. I would have worn a mask, and then given them a hassle if they tried to make me remove it.

[petesgirl]

Today starts our last week of school and the governor announced that kids could leave their masks at home for this week. I sent one with DS and told him to wear it but of course it was off when I picked him up. None of the teachers or staff had masks either, which surprised me. I know they have all had the chance to get vaccinated by now but I expected them to set a better example for the kids. There was a handful of kids that still had masks on at pick up.

[PZMommy]

Today starts our last week of school and the governor announced that kids could leave their masks at home for this week. I sent one with DS and told him to wear it but of course it was off when I picked him up. None of the teachers or staff had masks either, which surprised me. I know they have all had the chance to get vaccinated by now but I expected them to set a better example foe the kids. There was a handful of kids that still had masks on at pick up.

I don't know why governors are doing this. The CDC has stated plenty of times that unvaccinated people need to continue to wear masks, and that this includes kids under the age of 12. My superintendent announced today that masks will still be required in schools this fall, because kids will not be vaccinated yet.

[petesgirl]

I don't know why governors are doing this. The CDC has stated plenty of times that unvaccinated people need to continue to wear masks, and that this includes kids under the age of 12. My superintendent announced today that masks will still be required in schools this fall, because kids will not be vaccinated yet.

Because in one week it won't be the government's problem anymore if someone gets covid. That's why. I'm thinking it may not be worth going to the rest of the week, they cleaned their desks out on Friday so they aren't doing much real work anyway.

[sf333]

What state are you in?

[jgenie]

I don't know why governors are doing this. The CDC has stated plenty of times that unvaccinated people need to continue to wear masks, and that this includes kids under the age of 12. My superintendent announced today that masks will still be required in schools this fall, because kids will not be vaccinated yet.

I am so sorry. I would not be sending my child into a building with unmasked unvaccinated people. I vote for starting summer early!

[jgenie]

I don't know why governors are doing this. The CDC has stated plenty of times that unvaccinated people need to continue to wear masks, and that this includes kids under the age of 12. My superintendent announced today that masks will still be required in schools this fall, because kids will not be vaccinated yet.

I am so sorry. I would not be sending my child into a building with unmasked unvaccinated people. I vote for starting summer early!

[PZMommy]

I am so sorry. I would not be sending my child into a building with unmasked unvaccinated people. I vote for starting summer early!

I agree. I would not send my child, and I would tell the school my child is not attending because the governor/school is putting his health and safety at risk. Not that they would care, but it would make me feel better to vent some frustration.

[ahisma]

I am so sorry. Our school is still masked, but it's super loose in reality and I've kept the kids home (they zoom into class). They both have one dose (12 and 14 yo), but obviously are not fully protected. Today, DS1's teacher requested that he take his exam in the school lawn if I won't send him in. Crazy. Just crazy. And, no. He will not be taking his Algebra 2 exam on the school lawn.

[gatorsmom]

I am so sorry. Our school is still masked, but it's super loose in reality and I've kept the kids home (they zoom into class). They both have one dose (12 and 14 yo), but obviously are not fully protected. Today, DS1's teacher requested that he take his exam in the school lawn if I won't send him in. Crazy. Just crazy. And, no. He will not be taking his Algebra 2 exam on the school lawn.

Seriously? He can’t take it at home with you proctoring over zoom? But the lawn is more conducive to testing?? Has the whole world lost their minds?? :6:

[JBaxter]

I am so sorry. Our school is still masked, but it's super loose in reality and I've kept the kids home (they zoom into class). They both have one dose (12 and 14 yo), but obviously are not fully protected. Today, DS1's teacher requested that he take his exam in the school lawn if I won't send him in. Crazy. Just crazy. And, no. He will not be taking his Algebra 2 exam on the school lawn.
Is there a reason he can’t take it inside masked socially distanced ? We have gone to school all year in person but the zoom kids all had to come to the school to take assessments and EOC.

[twowhat?]

Check state laws on the assessments...in Texas I believe only the high school EOCs were required in order to graduate. The other state assessments "had" to be done in person and could not be made "required" of virtual students, and results of those assessments could not be used to determine grade promotions for this school year. For those reasons, I simply kept my kids remote on testing days...so they did not take the assessments. The school wasn't happy with me - I did NOT have to let them know but I went ahead and alerted them to help them with space and planning (and yes, the school did the best they could by separating remote students from in person students and spacing everyone out over several days of testing). They weren't happy but there's nothing legally they could do. State assessments here are somehow tied into school funding.

But yeah...if my kids are virtual all year, there's no way I'm sending them to school in person just to test...ugh. Before I knew that we had a choice, the plan was to fit the girls with N95s and have them test in those masks.

Having said that, I know I'm super risk averse and it was complicated by our proximity to being able to get our kids vaccinated. It just wasn't a risk I wanted to take.

[carolinacool]

Is there a reason he can’t take it inside masked socially distanced ? We have gone to school all year in person but the zoom kids all had to come to the school to take assessments and EOC.

DS has been back in person since the beginning of the year, but all in-person kids are working from home for three days over a week so that the remote kids can come into the school to test. (DS is home for Day 2 today.) I thought that was a smart solution. I know earlier in the year, people were saying they would not send their kids in, but our numbers and community spread in general have really decreased in the last couple of months and are pretty low.

Our school has been very good about masking, but they are allowed to remove them when outside now.

[ang79]

We decided to opt out of the state tests this year also because it didn’t make sense to me to send my all virtual kids in for several hours of testing for a week for tests that do not impact their grades or placement. And both schools seemed ok with that decision, no hoops to jump through like there normally is for opting out of these tests. My 8th grader is currently in school taking her Algebra Keystone test only because it is a graduation requirement. The remote kids are al testing together in a room close to the entrance and I pick her up right after she is finished. Masks are still required too. I think the previous poster was concerned because the mask policy was not being enforced well at her school/state.


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[frugalmom]

Our school district in our city just made masks optional inside the schools staring tomorrow! They were going to keep it until June 10 and then only have it effect in person summer school. But a few parents and one student argued because of the heat and that other districts don't have masks. Thankfully my kids are virtual students.

[Globetrotter]

duplicate

[Globetrotter]

I was booking an indoor beauty appointment for the first time since covid. She asked me if I was vaccinated and had it been two weeks since I had it. I had somehow forgotten the date I got it and was frantically searching in my calendar as she was quite insistent on a date.
I kept saying I'm fully vaxxed and she said no, has it been two weeks. I thought wow, she wants to make sure I'm fully vaxxed before seeing me and I asked her if that's the case and I said will wear a mask as I've been cautious. She said no she isn't seeing only vaccinated people (which is fine) but she wants to protect unvaccinated people from people who have been vaccinated as apparently she had heard studies that vaccinated folks shed the virus for two weeks. OK…

I didn't really want to deal with that so I ended up cancelling that appointment and booking with another salon that does symptoms checks and requires masks. I was a bit stunned as this was my first encounter with something like this from a business- keeping in mind I've hardly gone anywhere except Traders joes, costco, and Target and I live in the SF Bay Area. I know many of you all deal with this stuff daily- until now I've only seen it on FB! I'm wondering if she would wear a mask to protect herself from vaccinated people.