After nearly a year and a half of masks being worn within schools, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced that masks will no longer be state required within schools starting March 1. Instead, individual school districts will determine mask requirements. 

“I think this is the right decision at the right time to give this discretion […] up to our superintendents,” Lamont said yesterday at the announcement. “More to the point, I think it’s going to be milder and less impactful, and that means your vaccine, and your booster and your mask on special occasions are going to be more impactful and keep you safe.”

With some perhaps feeling uncomfortable about being unmasked within schools, the state government continues to strongly note that people are still free to mask if they so choose.

“You can certainly continue to mask if you decide in your community that’s what works best for you,” Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, said yesterday during the announcement. “However, if you choose not to, that is what we are allowing you to do by removing the statewide mandate.”

Students at Staples are widely in favor of the mandate being removed, as many feel the majority should be fully vaccinated by now.

“It’ll be nice to have it off,” Jacob DiDonato ’23 said. “I think if you’re vaccinated, […] you’ll be fine, and […] everyone at the school [has had] enough time to do it by now.”