OCEAN CITY – As students streamed out of Ocean City High School Friday afternoon, they had mixed opinions about the end of the mask mandate the following Monday, March 7.
Some were happy to be rid of the masks, others liked that they had personal choice – and planned to keep wearing them – and still others thought it was too early to lift the mandate because people remain at risk.
Daniel Guy said he is excited the mandate is gone. “I’m glad. It’s been more than a year and we get to take them off finally.” He said having a mask on “wasn’t the worst thing, but I like not having to wear it.”
“I think everyone has the right to do what they want. Having no masks it’s doing whatever people want to do,” said Jack Hoag, who added he will be happy to see everyone’s faces again.
“I think everyone should be able to do whatever they want, whatever they feel safe with. Without the mask mandate, they can,” said Cameron Yoa, who added he got used to wearing the masks. “I don’t mind it at all.” However, he, too, is happy he won’t have to wear it.
Other students were more blasé.
“I don’t really care. I always wore my mask and am used to it but if it’s over I’m not going to wear it anymore,” student Jaycey Lin said.
Kasey McDonnell is glad the mandate is gone. “I was OK with wearing it. It didn’t really matter to me, but I’m happy.”
“I think it’s pretty cool, I guess” Megan Coan said. “I didn’t mind wearing a mask but now that we can take them off, if you want to wear it, wear it, if you don’t, take it off. I don’t mind.”
“I don’t really mind wearing a mask but it’s going to be nice to see people’s faces and not wear one anymore,” said Makenna Marr.
A few were deciding how long they would continue to wear a mask now that it is their choice.
“I don’t really care about it. If you’re OK with not wearing a mask, then go ahead and don’t wear it,” Litzy Bautista, who was leaving school with Monica Dominguez, said. She plans to keep wearing her mask “for a little while just in case to see if anything happens or not because a lot of people won’t be wearing them. So I’ll keep it on for a little while.”
“I don’t really have an opinion,” Dominguez said. “It’s really personal if you want to wear it you can, if you don’t, you don’t.” She didn’t plan to continue wearing a mask.
Other students thought lifting the mandate came too early. “I kind of wish it wasn’t (over),” Maeve Stanford said. “I think it wasn’t the safest decision, but at the end of the day it is a state decision, not a school decision so I’m not mad at the school.”
“I’m concerned about it being lifted,” EJ McKnight said. “I think there are a lot of people who still have underlying medical issues and they have family at home with underlying medical issues and I agree, I don’t blame the school for it.”
“I honestly agree with them,” Tayton Heap said, referring to Stanford and McKnight. “I don’t think it’s safe because there are so many people who need to wear masks for their own safety and for people in their own families and for all of the people who aren’t going to be wearing masks.”
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff