For what seems like a century the citizens of Oregon have had to wear a cotton mask that covers the lower half of our face to protect us from COVID. But, it would seem that our dear and fearless leader that is definitely loved by every Oregonian, Kate Brown, along with the governors of Washington state (Jay Inslee) and California (Gavin Newsom) have decided that the time is now for a change in the mask of expectations.

The governors made a statement basically implying that it’s time to move forward and go on with life without masks. Now of course there’s a caveat as there as there is with all good news. High risk indoor settings such as public transportation, hospitals, airports and some others will still require that individuals must wear a face covering such as a mask. These rules also may vary depending on what state you happen to be in. Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state had this to say “Many businesses and families will continue choosing to wear masks.” That of course hints at the fact that if a business wishes to require customers to dawn a face covering to enter they have the right to do so.

When asking some students and staff about their thoughts on face masks in school possibly going away I was met with a response that I honestly expected. It was a combination of “Thank god!” and “Finally!” And of course there were some that still wanted to wear masks and it’s their right to do so, but from what I’ve gathered the community of CHS is ready for this change, and will have no argument with a lack of masks in our school.

So come March 31st we will see what happens – but one thing is for sure – most of our school has their fingers crossed that we are making the right choice for our future and the future of our state with these new mask rules… But like all things only time will tell.