Editorial: Politicians shouldn’t be lifting mask mandates and should instead be listening to the CDC’s advice

We coordinate them with our outfits, stuff extras in our glove compartments and refresh the Athleta website hoping for a restock — masks are nothing new, and putting one on in public is now as routine as locking our cars. 

Masks have been mandated in Kansas City since July 3, 2020, and with President Joe Biden promising that all adults will be vaccinated by the end of May, it seems that the days of staying six feet apart and holding in sneezes in public may finally be almost over. 

But right as we’re nearing the end of the pandemic, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that masks are no longer mandated and businesses are allowed to fully reopen on March 10. It’s irresponsible — and even ignorant — for politicians to go against the CDC’s safety precautions, and it’s even more irresponsible for people to follow them blindly.

The end is in sight — we can all handle wearing our masks for a little longer if it means safety for everyone around us. Lifting mask mandates simply because people are “over” the pandemic is not the answer. 

Just because politicians have the power to lift mask mandates doesn’t mean they should. The CDC is where we should be looking for information regarding masks. And according to CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield, “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus — particularly when used universally within a community setting.”

The CDC is releasing information from research done by scientists and medical professionals, not politicians hoping to gain political traction. When listening to information relating to COVID-19, we need to be able to tell the difference between someone who is educated on the topic and someone who simply wants to gain popularity by reopening their state. 

While it’s still unclear what effect this mask-lifting mandate will have, one thing has been made obvious — it came at just the wrong time. Although cities in Texas can still enact a mask mandate, Abbott’s decision comes with a bigger meaning — he’s implying that COVID-19 is over just months before a majority of the population can be vaccinated. 

This lack of mask mandates aren’t just an issue in Texas — in Kansas, only 57 counties have a mask mandate in place, leaving at least 14% of the state population living in places without a mandate, according to the Kansas Health Institute. And across the state line, Missouri is one of 17 states without a statewide mask mandate. 

With spring break in less than two weeks and hundreds of East students headed to Florida, the presence of masks is becoming even more important. Florida never had a statewide mask mandate to begin with, and Gov. Ron DeSantis is now working to erase city-wide mandates throughout the state. 

We’ve been wearing masks for seven hours straight during in-person days, learning how to sneak a sip of water without infecting others. We’ve worn them while taking the ACT, working our after school jobs and even while playing school sports. Just because politicians are becoming impatient with stopping the spread of COVID-19 doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be responsible for ourselves and those around us. 

The use and effectiveness of masks has become an increasingly polarizing political issue, but our own safety shouldn’t have anything to do with your politician of choice. Politicians like Abbott and DeSantis are working against statistics proving the effectiveness of masks and lifting mandates without any evidence that they’re no longer needed. 

New Zealand is practically back to normal with full clubs and busy streets because they all wore masks and cooperated when the first wave hit. Italy just tightened their guidelines and imposed an Easter lockdown, which will help them to contain the spread. The protective measures other governments put into place and that the citizens followed will help them return back to normal — meanwhile countless Americans are risking others’ lives maskless. 

After over a year of COVID-19 restrictions, the country is finally making strides in vaccinations, and things are starting to feel normal. We can go on the spring break we missed last year, school is transitioning to fully in-person and we now have student sections at spring sporting events. But even though it feels like we’re nearing the finish line, don’t celebrate too early. 

Putting on a mask doesn’t take more than two seconds, and it can still work to stop the spread of COVID-19 before we are all vaccinated. Even if you find yourself somewhere without a mask mandate in the next couple of weeks, remember that it’s not the experts that are making those rules. Think about those around you, and continue to do what you have been doing everywhere from school to restaurants. 

Hopefully a year from now we can travel out of the country for spring break on planes packed with maskless strangers. But for now, listen to the professionals when it comes to COVID-19 precautions.