by Andrew Fierro, Managing Editor

Starting tomorrow and in full effect when students arrive to class on Monday, St. John Bosco High School will adhere to the new guidance of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), eliminating the indoor mask mandate in schools for the first time in two years.

Going along with Orange County, Los Angeles County lifted their indoor mask mandate for businesses and was one of the few remaining counties in the whole country to do so. Following this, K-12 schools through will also be lifting their mask mandate. However, the CDPH still strongly recommends teachers, staff and students to continue to wear masks indoors, despite the fact it is no longer required.

More and more students have been itching to go without masks, and as the COVID-19 numbers continue to diminish, they has been an eagerness for the mask mandate to be lifted.

“I think that the masks make it difficult in class. Sometimes I am not able to hear my teachers because of their masks and it also makes my glasses fog up which can be very annoying,” said senior Joshua Joson.

Even though many students will no longer be wearing face masks beginning next Monday, there will still be many students who will be wearing face masks due to safety precautions. The choice is for each student to make, and their choice will be respected either way.

One concern that’s been on the minds of many students and parents is if the lift on the mandate will apply for all students or just those who are fully vaccinated. Following the state health guidelines, Bosco’s mask mandate will be lifted for everyone, regardless of vaccination status.

“The end of the mask mandate will not take into account vaccination status and will be across the board for everyone,” said Vice Principal of Student Affairs Ms. Schnorr.

Though for many students this is an important issue, for others it is not as impactful. Many students have grown to live with the mask mandate and are not too worried about whether or not they have to wear a mask anymore. 

“Personally, I am not affected much by the mandate. I don’t really care either way. I am happy to wear a mask if I need to, and if able to, I am happy to take it off,” said senior Kasen Herroz.

Going forward, students will have the choice of going mask free at school if they so wish. Though, if they or their parents are unsure about their safety, they will always have the option to continue to wear a mask, as strongly recommended by the school and the CDPH.