On March 16th, 2022, UCSB’s Chancellor Yang announced that beginning April 4th, masks would no longer be required in indoor spaces on campus (classrooms included). While masks will no longer be required in indoor spaces, the announcement reiterates that they are “strongly recommended“. The decision to end the masking mandate is in response to a significant decline in positive COVID-19 cases, which is an indication that the UCSB community has passed the peak and should continue to see a decline in the rate of positive cases. While the decline in positive COVID-19 cases in our community is certainly great news, UCSB students have differing opinions about ending the campus mask mandate.
Masking
Over two years ago, in March of 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a pandemic. As a result, life for everyone completely changed as we had to alter our lives and adapt to the new reality of living during a pandemic. One of the most significant ways in which we have had to alter our lives is by wearing a mask in indoor settings. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), consistent mask wearing is effective in reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
For two years now, people have been encouraged by infectious disease experts to regularly wear masks in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Despite this, mask wearing has become a hot topic of debate in the United States with many polarizing opinions. While some people have been consistent with mask wearing, others have grown tired of it, choosing not to wear masks completely. Differing opinions on mask-wearing appear to be evident amongst UCSB students as well.
How UCSB Students Feel About the Mask Mandate Ending
Thus far during the 2021-22 academic year, UCSB students have been mandated to wear masks inside all campus facilities. Furthermore, during this academic year we have experienced a transition from in-person classes, to online, then back to in-person due to the spike of the Omicron variant. Essentially, this year has felt like a rollercoaster for many us at UCSB due to the pandemic.
With the end of the mask mandate on UCSB’s campus approaching, I wanted to see how fellow Gauchos were feeling about this crucial decision. In order to get a glimpse of how UCSB students are feeling about this, I interviewed some Gauchos and conducted an Instagram poll asking what UCSB students thought about the mask mandate ending.
Here is what they had to say:
- Instagram Poll with 69 votes in total: 74% voted to “please end it” (i.e., the mask mandate) while 26% voted to “keep the masks”.
- Student A (4th year) said, “wearing a mask on campus is sort of a joke at this point… No one wears masks around IV or downtown Santa Barbara which is where students interact outside of school.” She went on to say, “okay, so wearing a mask isn’t a joke, and they have kept a lot of people safe during the pandemic. However, at this point when there is no covid wave and most people are tired of wearing masks, I just don’t get the point of wearing them right now on campus”.
- Student B (3rd year) said, “I believe that we shouldn’t end the mask mandate because there are still a lot of people contracting the virus and we still aren’t over the pandemic, so masks should still be mandatory.” He also said, “we shouldn’t ease off too much, and there are students who are immunocompromised who won’t be able to attend class.”
Amongst UCSB students, the general consensus seems to be in favor of ending the mask mandate on campus. While my findings were among a minuscule portion of the UCSB student body, it is interesting nonetheless. Evidently, there are still concerns amongst students about ending the mask mandate completely, and they are certainly valid. Overall, I’m curious to see what is to happen with the end of the mask mandate. I do believe that there will be a sense of normalcy in the following weeks on campus, but at what cost?