To Mask or Not to Mask — Revisited.
The CDC announced that as of February 25, 2022, indoor masking is no longer required in communities where hospitals aren’t highly strained -- which means that there are adequate hospital beds for COVID 19 patients. The CDC will be releasing weekly updates on a county-by-county basis to declare communities: high, medium, or low risk ( visit COVID-19 Community Levels to check your county). All members, including children, can stop wearing masks indoors in low and medium risk counties. H
A majority of counties in Maine remain high risk; however, the Mills administration has stated that the updated unmasking guidelines start next Wednesday, March 19, 2022. With “unmasking” guidelines looming in the near future, the question, again, is – to mask or not to mask.
The troubling question of masking is especially relevant to families with children under five (who remain unvaccinated), and families who have immuno-compromised members. Universal masking has provided a layer of protection for everyone! Universal masking has made it so that no children, and no families have been singled out for medical, personal, or political reasons. Universal masking is highly efficient at decreasing COVID (and other disease) spread as confirmed by multiple studies reviewed by the CDC.*
Why were we masking in the first place? The goal of masking at first was to limit the spread of COVID. Limited spread meant less people getting sick in general – both those at high risk and those at low risk. With the introduction and widespread use of vaccines, and new treatment options, most high risk populations have been able to gain a solid layer of protection; children have never been considered a “high risk” group. Limited spread was also meant to keep health systems from being overwhelmed. Unfortunately, masking and vaccinations alone were not sufficient to keep the Maine health systems from being overwhelmed during the worst of the Omicron surge – most of Maine has not yet emerged from being in the high-risk zone.
Immunity from COVID, both natural and from vaccinations, is now believed to be adequate at protecting health systems from being overwhelmed and most vaccinated high-risk populations from becoming ill. This is the rationale for stopping universal mask mandates.
But not all children are vaccinated! They are not a high-risk group, but they will now be placed at higher risk for contracting COVID. Immune-compromised children who have been attending school will now be at higher risk of contracting COVID; they will be uniquely singled out by these changes as compared to their peers. The CDC has been clear that individuals seeking protection can certainly continue to mask – and it is wise to do so for those at higher risk. However, the efficacy of partial masking has not been studied.
Families have asked me for guidance on whether or not to continue masking their children once the universal masking guidelines no longer apply in our communities. I do not have great guidance at this time – and feel frustrated that I simply do not know how to answer!
My best reasoning is that protecting against COVID is now an individual/family responsibility and choice as opposed to a community directive. There are some families who I will continue to encourage to mask, because the risk of COVID outweighs the risk of being different from peers. There are some families who will be fine with these new guidelines and I have minimal concerns that they should be worried about contracting COVID.
I would be lying if I didn’t say I am grieving that the community is no longer protecting the most vulnerable among us. It is now up to the individuals to protect themselves. Is now the right time to return to normal? If not now, then when would be a better time? I don’t know. I wish I felt solid in giving guidance to all families who trust my judgment.
* https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.html
