By Katherine Mueller
Exec. Opinion Editor
Although the CDC’s recent nationwide guidelines give those who are fully vaccinated the option
to not wear a mask in public, Governor Newsom has put the new guidelines on hold until June
15th. However, it is too early for total mask removal due to the great presence of unvaccinated
Americans, the prevalence of indoor COVID spread, and the unifying impact of masks on
society.
The CDC announced on May 13 that fully vaccinated individuals can largely return to an
unmasked and non-distanced existence by lifting the mask mandate in the majority of indoor or
outdoor settings. Yet, according to US News, 21 states will require modified or extended mask
mandates, including California. Manhattan Beach is currently aligned with California’s state-wide
mandate which pushes back the CDC’s mandate until the 15th of June.
As of May, almost 140 million Americans have accomplished one of the biggest achievements of
the pandemic by receiving their first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. However,
according to NPR, less than 50% of Americans have been vaccinated.
It is necessary that more people become vaccinated to create herd immunity, which according to
NPR will not be reached before June 15th. Unvaccinated Americans are vulnerable and a
hazard to everybody, therefore emphasizing the need to continue the use of masks.
The way COVID-19 spreads is highly different indoors and outdoors. According to PNAS,
COVID-19 is able to spread past 6 feet in indoor spaces, and that masks are the best way to
stop viral spread. Allowing Californians to not wear masks indoors will increase the chance of
the virus to spread and endanger all of those inside. Masks should especially be required
indoors, despite the new mandate, because they may just be the only thing preventing one from
contracting the virus in an indoor setting.
One large social controversy of the past year has been the debate over to, or to not, wear a
mask. Several U.S. government officials have contributed to this controversy, which has caused
society to have a lack of complete consensus for mask use, according to The National Center
for Biotechnology. The presence of masks in society has forced Americans to consider not only
the safety of themselves but the safety of others, an important trait that should not be perceived
as a nuisance. With the mask mandate being removed, it will also encourage Americans to act
carelessly, while the battle against COVID-19 has not yet been won.
Some may argue that the 95% effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is enough to
quell the worry against COVID spread with the absence of masks. However, the presence of future variants, including the Indian and South African variants, may bypass the security of the
vaccines, according to Washington.edu. Higher COVID spread which can be caused by the
absence of masks will contribute to the creation of the new variants, which will harm not only
those unvaccinated, but possibly those vaccinated as well.
The California mask mandate, though wisely extended, should be lengthened further in order to
keep the spread of COVID-19 as minimal as possible. The simple, effective, and respectful use
of a mask will greatly contribute to this goal.
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