Masks optional by spring break

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

Just because the best solution isn't always in use, doesn't mean we have to go to zero. All the in betweens help with risk reduction. The majority of the children at our elementary school are wearing high quality masks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

Just because the best solution isn't always in use, doesn't mean we have to go to zero. All the in betweens help with risk reduction. The majority of the children at our elementary school are wearing high quality masks

No, because taking away the mask mandate does not prohibit people from wearing masks. Those that are wearing high quality masks properly are not going to stop just because masks are optional. I think you equate mandates with masks and that's a false and harmful assumption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

Just because the best solution isn't always in use, doesn't mean we have to go to zero. All the in betweens help with risk reduction. The majority of the children at our elementary school are wearing high quality masks

No, because taking away the mask mandate does not prohibit people from wearing masks. Those that are wearing high quality masks properly are not going to stop just because masks are optional. I think you equate mandates with masks and that's a false and harmful assumption.

+1 to the bolded

Making masks optional will allow for all those kids wearing high quality masks (all day, fitted properly) to keep wearing them. That still helps with risk reduction. That's not going to zero, so please stop with the all or nothing thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

Just because the best solution isn't always in use, doesn't mean we have to go to zero. All the in betweens help with risk reduction. The majority of the children at our elementary school are wearing high quality masks

No, because taking away the mask mandate does not prohibit people from wearing masks. Those that are wearing high quality masks properly are not going to stop just because masks are optional. I think you equate mandates with masks and that's a false and harmful assumption.

+1 to the bolded

Making masks optional will allow for all those kids wearing high quality masks (all day, fitted properly) to keep wearing them. That still helps with risk reduction. That's not going to zero, so please stop with the all or nothing thinking.

This is a fair point. The one very important variable not mentioned in this is "peer pressure" Anyway, if there ever was a time to lift it, until the next surge or variant, it is literally right now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

Just because the best solution isn't always in use, doesn't mean we have to go to zero. All the in betweens help with risk reduction. The majority of the children at our elementary school are wearing high quality masks

No, because taking away the mask mandate does not prohibit people from wearing masks. Those that are wearing high quality masks properly are not going to stop just because masks are optional. I think you equate mandates with masks and that's a false and harmful assumption.

+1 to the bolded

Making masks optional will allow for all those kids wearing high quality masks (all day, fitted properly) to keep wearing them. That still helps with risk reduction. That's not going to zero, so please stop with the all or nothing thinking.

This is a fair point. The one very important variable not mentioned in this is "peer pressure" Anyway, if there ever was a time to lift it, until the next surge or variant, it is literally right now

https://twitter.com/edyong209/status/1494693719911669764?s=19

Masks vs no masks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

This kind of circular thinking is designed to discourage people from doing anything at all.

We are mandating masks. Even the people who send their kids to school in crappy masks are doing something. We finally sent masks out to schools. People who couldn't afford them now have access. Brick by brick we can.mount a defense that will reduce pain and suffering.

Or, like the GOP wants, we can let er rip for their eugenics program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

Just because the best solution isn't always in use, doesn't mean we have to go to zero. All the in betweens help with risk reduction. The majority of the children at our elementary school are wearing high quality masks

No, because taking away the mask mandate does not prohibit people from wearing masks. Those that are wearing high quality masks properly are not going to stop just because masks are optional. I think you equate mandates with masks and that's a false and harmful assumption.

+1 to the bolded

Making masks optional will allow for all those kids wearing high quality masks (all day, fitted properly) to keep wearing them. That still helps with risk reduction. That's not going to zero, so please stop with the all or nothing thinking.

This is a fair point. The one very important variable not mentioned in this is "peer pressure" Anyway, if there ever was a time to lift it, until the next surge or variant, it is literally right now

https://twitter.com/edyong209/status/1494693719911669764?s=19

Masks vs no masks.

I posted this and that wasn't the link I meant to post... Although it is enlightening

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

This kind of circular thinking is designed to discourage people from doing anything at all.

We are mandating masks. Even the people who send their kids to school in crappy masks are doing something. We finally sent masks out to schools. People who couldn't afford them now have access. Brick by brick we can.mount a defense that will reduce pain and suffering.

Or, like the GOP wants, we can let er rip for their eugenics program.

I love how the pro-maskers always bring up the GOP, MAGA, etc. because they can't handle having an actual discussion with someone they disagree with. This is not the politics forum. Get off your high horse. There is nothing "circular" about what I said btw. But if that makes you feel good, go ahead and post this idiocy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

This kind of circular thinking is designed to discourage people from doing anything at all.

We are mandating masks. Even the people who send their kids to school in crappy masks are doing something. We finally sent masks out to schools. People who couldn't afford them now have access. Brick by brick we can.mount a defense that will reduce pain and suffering.

Or, like the GOP wants, we can let er rip for their eugenics program.

I love how the pro-maskers always bring up the GOP, MAGA, etc. because they can't handle having an actual discussion with someone they disagree with. This is not the politics forum. Get off your high horse. There is nothing "circular" about what I said btw. But if that makes you feel good, go ahead and post this idiocy.

DP and yup, exactly. They have to resolve their own cognitive dissonance by assuming that anyone considering making masks optional MUST be a Trumper, rather than the Democrats many of us are. Hell, I'm a scientist who works at NIH! Our family got all of our vaccines/boosters as soon as we could! But I'm a COVID-denying MAGA-hat wearing lunatic, I get it.

I'm not sure if people realize how fundamentally destabilizing to society their inability to see in shades of grey is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

This kind of circular thinking is designed to discourage people from doing anything at all.

We are mandating masks. Even the people who send their kids to school in crappy masks are doing something. We finally sent masks out to schools. People who couldn't afford them now have access. Brick by brick we can.mount a defense that will reduce pain and suffering.

Or, like the GOP wants, we can let er rip for their eugenics program.

I love how the pro-maskers always bring up the GOP, MAGA, etc. because they can't handle having an actual discussion with someone they disagree with. This is not the politics forum. Get off your high horse. There is nothing "circular" about what I said btw. But if that makes you feel good, go ahead and post this idiocy.

Let me repeat literally what you said and then let's hear you explain how you are actually a responsible parent who protects your family and your community.

"We should either make everyone wear high-quality respirators or we should have no regulations whatsoever."

"We should either make every car as safe as a Subaru or we should have no safety regulations for cars at all."

"We should make sure that all guns are highly-regulated or we should just put them a in a basket on the street corner and let people pick one up if they want."

"The entire country should follow California's lead with environmental laws, but since that is impossible, we should do away with all laws that protect the environment."

"We should make prescription drugs as affordable for everyone as they are for people with good insurance, but since we can't do that we should just let the prices rip."

Etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

This kind of circular thinking is designed to discourage people from doing anything at all.

We are mandating masks. Even the people who send their kids to school in crappy masks are doing something. We finally sent masks out to schools. People who couldn't afford them now have access. Brick by brick we can.mount a defense that will reduce pain and suffering.

Or, like the GOP wants, we can let er rip for their eugenics program.

I love how the pro-maskers always bring up the GOP, MAGA, etc. because they can't handle having an actual discussion with someone they disagree with. This is not the politics forum. Get off your high horse. There is nothing "circular" about what I said btw. But if that makes you feel good, go ahead and post this idiocy.

DP and yup, exactly. They have to resolve their own cognitive dissonance by assuming that anyone considering making masks optional MUST be a Trumper, rather than the Democrats many of us are. Hell, I'm a scientist who works at NIH! Our family got all of our vaccines/boosters as soon as we could! But I'm a COVID-denying MAGA-hat wearing lunatic, I get it.

I'm not sure if people realize how fundamentally destabilizing to society their inability to see in shades of grey is.

I'm sorry, you're defending the dude who says that since we can't make everyone wear an n95 (because "reasons!" I guess), we shouldn't make anyone mask at all.

Were you an actual scientist one would hope you would have the ability to think with a little more nuance, but perhaps that is why you work for the government

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

Mcps provides one kn95 to students a week. According to my first grader they go to school everyday with whatever mask they had on from home and then they get to school and trade out for their K n95 mask and then at the end of the week they bring it home and my daughter brought home one that was absolutely disgusting and covered in food particles. I switched her to her own kn95 just so that she is not wearing the same gross mask for a week. Not sure how this works logistically with older students if they will actually swap out masks or not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

Just because the best solution isn't always in use, doesn't mean we have to go to zero. All the in betweens help with risk reduction. The majority of the children at our elementary school are wearing high quality masks

No, because taking away the mask mandate does not prohibit people from wearing masks. Those that are wearing high quality masks properly are not going to stop just because masks are optional. I think you equate mandates with masks and that's a false and harmful assumption.

That logic ignores the fact that we are dealing with kids who are going to likely mimic their peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

Just because the best solution isn't always in use, doesn't mean we have to go to zero. All the in betweens help with risk reduction. The majority of the children at our elementary school are wearing high quality masks

No, because taking away the mask mandate does not prohibit people from wearing masks. Those that are wearing high quality masks properly are not going to stop just because masks are optional. I think you equate mandates with masks and that's a false and harmful assumption.

That logic ignores the fact that we are dealing with kids who are going to likely mimic their peers.

Precisely. It puts a lot of responsibility on minor children to protect their own health and that of their peers. It's inappropriate to put that kind of responsibility on them. You people have already done enough damage by saying masks don't work. Get rid of the mandate now and there will be a lot of bullying over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw we are NOT mandating high quality respirators and many in the public that do wear them, are not wearing them properly. The current mandates are useless. We should either mandate respirators that work and have a mechanism for enforcing that does not place the burden entirely on teachers, which is unrealistic and not going to happen, or do away with the mandate entirely.

This kind of circular thinking is designed to discourage people from doing anything at all.

We are mandating masks. Even the people who send their kids to school in crappy masks are doing something. We finally sent masks out to schools. People who couldn't afford them now have access. Brick by brick we can.mount a defense that will reduce pain and suffering.

Or, like the GOP wants, we can let er rip for their eugenics program.

I love how the pro-maskers always bring up the GOP, MAGA, etc. because they can't handle having an actual discussion with someone they disagree with. This is not the politics forum. Get off your high horse. There is nothing "circular" about what I said btw. But if that makes you feel good, go ahead and post this idiocy.

Exactly. Pro maskers In this thread want to worship the altar of science except when they actually have to come up with a data driven decision about when we should get rid of a mask mandate. When you ask them to actually come up with an alternative plan for when to lift the mandate they just start calling you a Trumper or a Bannon or Koch puppet.

I believe one person mentioned a few pages ago that we should wait until the positivity rate is below 3% which has already happened. When people suggest spring break I believe they are not just being arbitrary but are also acknowledging that case rates will have plateaued out in the next 6 weeks.

I am a pragmatist and I just don't think mcps is going to be making changes that quickly I suspect it will take until the end of the school year to make any changes to mask rules. I think that much like reopening school mcps will be one of the last school districts to end a mask mandate but I think it will have to eventually end.

I would love to see someone make a good faith argument for what is an alternative data-driven decision instead of resorting to histronics and name calling.