Masking off-ramp coming soon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys understand that a lot of teachers will walk out if kids who are not vaccinated don't wear masks? It is definitely a thing that we've talked about in my school.

I think there are many of us who would be happy to be rid of them. I think the way they are worn in the average elementary classroom is minimal protection.

??? Y'all are doing something wrong then. We have full compliance and no issues.

Yeah, that's weird. We are a middle school and we have almost no problems either. All the kids are wearing their masks and virtually no one is complaining, which is strange because middle schoolers will complain about anything. Some of them will remind each other by pointing at their noses if someone's mask slips down in class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys understand that a lot of teachers will walk out if kids who are not vaccinated don't wear masks? It is definitely a thing that we've talked about in my school.

I can understand that if they are watching the covid fear porn on American media. I’m hoping the conversation aligns with the science once kid vaccine approved. Schools open in lots of places w/o mask requirements and doing pretty much the same when controlled for vaccine rates. Look at Europe and watch BBC world news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys understand that a lot of teachers will walk out if kids who are not vaccinated don't wear masks? It is definitely a thing that we've talked about in my school.

I can understand that if they are watching the covid fear porn on American media. I’m hoping the conversation aligns with the science once kid vaccine approved. Schools open in lots of places w/o mask requirements and doing pretty much the same when controlled for vaccine rates. Look at Europe and watch BBC world news.

Until you're walking in their shoes, doing what they're doing and what you're afraid to do, I would not speak so mockingly. Give teachers some respect. They deserve it for dealing with your kids. If teachers want kids in masks while in school then I support kids in masks while in school.

The only kids I know who have problems with masks are those kids whose parents are unhinged about the subject. The rest of us are raising our kids to be flexible and to go with the flow. My kids wear masks with no problems and so do their friends.

-Signed, A Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys understand that a lot of teachers will walk out if kids who are not vaccinated don't wear masks? It is definitely a thing that we've talked about in my school.

I think there are many of us who would be happy to be rid of them. I think the way they are worn in the average elementary classroom is minimal protection.

??? Y'all are doing something wrong then. We have full compliance and no issues.

Yeah, that's weird. We are a middle school and we have almost no problems either. All the kids are wearing their masks and virtually no one is complaining, which is strange because middle schoolers will complain about anything. Some of them will remind each other by pointing at their noses if someone's mask slips down in class.

Same here. I think the kids are happy to be back and know that the masks make it possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys understand that a lot of teachers will walk out if kids who are not vaccinated don't wear masks? It is definitely a thing that we've talked about in my school.

I can understand that if they are watching the covid fear porn on American media. I’m hoping the conversation aligns with the science once kid vaccine approved. Schools open in lots of places w/o mask requirements and doing pretty much the same when controlled for vaccine rates. Look at Europe and watch BBC world news.

Most people here including kids don't seem to have problems with masks and want masks. We've read the studies, we know they work.

We aren't buying your fear porn narrative. We're not Texas or Florida or the UK. We all see what is happening there and don't want it here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys understand that a lot of teachers will walk out if kids who are not vaccinated don't wear masks? It is definitely a thing that we've talked about in my school.

I think there are many of us who would be happy to be rid of them. I think the way they are worn in the average elementary classroom is minimal protection.

??? Y'all are doing something wrong then. We have full compliance and no issues.

Yeah, that's weird. We are a middle school and we have almost no problems either. All the kids are wearing their masks and virtually no one is complaining, which is strange because middle schoolers will complain about anything. Some of them will remind each other by pointing at their noses if someone's mask slips down in class.

It's not a problem for the kids, but the parents seem to be fueled by rage over masks. I don't understand it.

[Anonymous]

Two questions for those of you committed to masks for the foreseeable future:

1) Would you be willing to give up a mask mandate in exchange for a true testing plan— weekly testing for all, on-site rapid tests for anyone with symptoms, test to stay for anyone exposed to a positive? There are indications testing is much more effective than masking at preventing outbreaks.

2) Is there any level of Covid (like for instance an R0 below 1) at which point you would be okay forgoing masks even with unvaccinated students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two questions for those of you committed to masks for the foreseeable future:

1) Would you be willing to give up a mask mandate in exchange for a true testing plan— weekly testing for all, on-site rapid tests for anyone with symptoms, test to stay for anyone exposed to a positive? There are indications testing is much more effective than masking at preventing outbreaks.

2) Is there any level of Covid (like for instance an R0 below 1) at which point you would be okay forgoing masks even with unvaccinated students?

Daily testing is an interesting idea but certainly not weekly testing, it's not enough. And certainly not ok with replacing quarantines with test to stay AND take away masks too. Are you crazy? Test to stay makes it less safe not more.

Also daily testing didn't even seem to work with the athletes. We have the worst outbreak in a school right now at WHS and it's all from athletes who are not masking and who are daily testing so that didn't seem to work very well.

Everyone wanted full time school so we had to stop distancing for the most part. Not really sure how good ventilation is. Masks are probably the most important thing we have. Case rates are still quite high.

Get back to me when we stop having new cases in Arlington like we had in June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two questions for those of you committed to masks for the foreseeable future:

1) Would you be willing to give up a mask mandate in exchange for a true testing plan— weekly testing for all, on-site rapid tests for anyone with symptoms, test to stay for anyone exposed to a positive? There are indications testing is much more effective than masking at preventing outbreaks.

2) Is there any level of Covid (like for instance an R0 below 1) at which point you would be okay forgoing masks even with unvaccinated students?

1. It's cheaper to do masks

2. When there is low transmission, instead of moderate or high. I assume when most kids are vaccinated, transmission among kids and adults will go down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doubt it. You could get 100% of kids vaccinated and the school board would say everyone has to wear masks to prevent breakthrough cases. The nightmare never ends.

What a great message Arlington sends to areas of the country not vaccinated --> you all can copy Arlington and get vaccinated too, and then be like us and act like vaccinations don't work. Restating, you can't take your masks off here because a bunch of people in rural Arkansas aren't getting vaccinated and aren't wearing masks there. It never ends.

Some people around here don't want this pandemic to end. Neighbors Scaring Neighbors with COVID Misinformation is full of people who think COVID is like small pox and will be eradicated if we just lockdown harder.

Of course not. Then they'd have to go back to selling stationery and it'd prove how wrong they were for pushing for closed schools (and for posting 10 million skewed ventilation studies, while blocking anyone who questions them).

+1,000,000

Facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two questions for those of you committed to masks for the foreseeable future:

1) Would you be willing to give up a mask mandate in exchange for a true testing plan— weekly testing for all, on-site rapid tests for anyone with symptoms, test to stay for anyone exposed to a positive? There are indications testing is much more effective than masking at preventing outbreaks.

2) Is there any level of Covid (like for instance an R0 below 1) at which point you would be okay forgoing masks even with unvaccinated students?

Daily testing is an interesting idea but certainly not weekly testing, it's not enough. And certainly not ok with replacing quarantines with test to stay AND take away masks too. Are you crazy? Test to stay makes it less safe not more.

Also daily testing didn't even seem to work with the athletes. We have the worst outbreak in a school right now at WHS and it's all from athletes who are not masking and who are daily testing so that didn't seem to work very well.

Everyone wanted full time school so we had to stop distancing for the most part. Not really sure how good ventilation is. Masks are probably the most important thing we have. Case rates are still quite high.

Get back to me when we stop having new cases in Arlington like we had in June.

You’re eventually going to need to become accustomed to “cases.” They will be inevitable in an endemic and by next school year will not be noteworthy, much like influenza.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two questions for those of you committed to masks for the foreseeable future:

1) Would you be willing to give up a mask mandate in exchange for a true testing plan— weekly testing for all, on-site rapid tests for anyone with symptoms, test to stay for anyone exposed to a positive? There are indications testing is much more effective than masking at preventing outbreaks.

2) Is there any level of Covid (like for instance an R0 below 1) at which point you would be okay forgoing masks even with unvaccinated students?

Daily testing is an interesting idea but certainly not weekly testing, it's not enough. And certainly not ok with replacing quarantines with test to stay AND take away masks too. Are you crazy? Test to stay makes it less safe not more.

Also daily testing didn't even seem to work with the athletes. We have the worst outbreak in a school right now at WHS and it's all from athletes who are not masking and who are daily testing so that didn't seem to work very well.

Everyone wanted full time school so we had to stop distancing for the most part. Not really sure how good ventilation is. Masks are probably the most important thing we have. Case rates are still quite high.

Get back to me when we stop having new cases in Arlington like we had in June.

You’re eventually going to need to become accustomed to “cases.” They will be inevitable in an endemic and by next school year will not be noteworthy, much like influenza.

Exactly. Right now, masks are the best option for kids who can't be vaccinated yet. But that won't be true in just a few months, hopefully. Once all kids can get vaccinated, the VACCINE is the (much much much) more effective protection, and the masks will do little on top of that. And I'm sorry but why should my vaccinated kids have to wear a mask because some parents don't believe in science? I am so tired of doing the most to protect people who won't do the same for their own selves or children.

[Anonymous]

Masks should come off kids who are vaccinated.

Kids who aren't vaccinated can unmask once community rates are below X, assuming "X" is based on science and not some random impossible number. There will always be covid cases floating around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two questions for those of you committed to masks for the foreseeable future:

1) Would you be willing to give up a mask mandate in exchange for a true testing plan— weekly testing for all, on-site rapid tests for anyone with symptoms, test to stay for anyone exposed to a positive? There are indications testing is much more effective than masking at preventing outbreaks.

2) Is there any level of Covid (like for instance an R0 below 1) at which point you would be okay forgoing masks even with unvaccinated students?

Daily testing is an interesting idea but certainly not weekly testing, it's not enough. And certainly not ok with replacing quarantines with test to stay AND take away masks too. Are you crazy? Test to stay makes it less safe not more.

Also daily testing didn't even seem to work with the athletes. We have the worst outbreak in a school right now at WHS and it's all from athletes who are not masking and who are daily testing so that didn't seem to work very well.

Everyone wanted full time school so we had to stop distancing for the most part. Not really sure how good ventilation is. Masks are probably the most important thing we have. Case rates are still quite high.

Get back to me when we stop having new cases in Arlington like we had in June.

I can get back to you right now and say that will never happen again. The Delta variant and declining vaccine efficacy (at least in terms of sterilizing immunity) means that there are always going to be cases, even with boosters. They will just be breakthrough cases.

There's no going back now. That's what "endemic" means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two questions for those of you committed to masks for the foreseeable future:

1) Would you be willing to give up a mask mandate in exchange for a true testing plan— weekly testing for all, on-site rapid tests for anyone with symptoms, test to stay for anyone exposed to a positive? There are indications testing is much more effective than masking at preventing outbreaks.

2) Is there any level of Covid (like for instance an R0 below 1) at which point you would be okay forgoing masks even with unvaccinated students?

Daily testing is an interesting idea but certainly not weekly testing, it's not enough. And certainly not ok with replacing quarantines with test to stay AND take away masks too. Are you crazy? Test to stay makes it less safe not more.

Also daily testing didn't even seem to work with the athletes. We have the worst outbreak in a school right now at WHS and it's all from athletes who are not masking and who are daily testing so that didn't seem to work very well.

Everyone wanted full time school so we had to stop distancing for the most part. Not really sure how good ventilation is. Masks are probably the most important thing we have. Case rates are still quite high.

Get back to me when we stop having new cases in Arlington like we had in June.

You’re eventually going to need to become accustomed to “cases.” They will be inevitable in an endemic and by next school year will not be noteworthy, much like influenza.

Exactly. Right now, masks are the best option for kids who can't be vaccinated yet. But that won't be true in just a few months, hopefully. Once all kids can get vaccinated, the VACCINE is the (much much much) more effective protection, and the masks will do little on top of that. And I'm sorry but why should my vaccinated kids have to wear a mask because some parents don't believe in science? I am so tired of doing the most to protect people who won't do the same for their own selves or children.

Yes, exactly how I feel. It’s vaccines that make the difference. Whatever marginal (likely non) benefit is had by masks is far outweighed by the need for kids to see faces. Those that still want to mask can but we need to let kids be normal. My kids have been troopers with masks but it is wearing them down.