After more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Mateo Union High School District is working to reach a new normal. The SMUHSD Board of Trustees lifted the mask mandate on June 1 and the county is currently in the low COVID-19 risk tier, based on test positivity and case rates. The district follows COVID-19 guidelines set by the California Department of Public Health and San Mateo County, which strongly recommends but does not require people to continue wearing masks indoors.
Although San Mateo County repealed the mask mandate in February for vaccinated individuals, the district kept its mask mandate until the end of the 2021-22 school year.
“We can always be more strict than the state or the county,” said the SMUHSD Services Manager Sara Devaney in an interview last October. “We just can’t be less [strict].”
Some students feel that various preventative measures, such as vaccines, have made it safe enough to take off their mask.
“I’ve been double vaccinated, had my booster [and] had COVID-19, so it’s a risk I’m willing to take,” said junior Noah Finberg. “When there was a rule, I wasn’t against it [and] wore one. Now that I have the choice … [not wearing a mask is] a choice I’m choosing to make.”
Some continue to wear their masks, but have become more comfortable taking them off.
“I’ve noticed that students tend to not wear their masks with more laid-back teachers,” said sophomore Phoebe Taylor. “I take my mask off more often in class to drink water. I [also] don’t wear my mask all the time on the bus because it’s really hot.”
On the other hand, some students and staff who have health issues or are in contact with people who are more susceptible worry over the lifted mask mandate.
“I’m still scared [about the pandemic] because I have asthma and I’m pregnant,” said Spanish teacher Marie Escoto. “I always wear a mask.”
Some students are expressing concern that without mandatory testing and masks, COVID-19 infection rates will skyrocket.
“I don’t think people test often enough, so people will be walking around, unmasked, spreading [the virus],” said junior Bailey Wong. “Also, people who test at home might not report it.”
The District no longer offers on-campus testing and is shifting toward at-home testing. It continues to offer rapid tests in the office and from the mobile teen health van. However, on-site testing may return.
“If there’s a big surge or if we go to a higher [tier], then [the district] might bring testing back,” said Health Aide Lesley Franco. “You never know what’s going to happen, with all the illnesses and variants … that are coming.”
Similar to testing, the District is no longer prioritizing vaccination drives, like those hosted at San Mateo High last year.
“We asked folks if they were interested in … vaccine clinics on site, [but] we haven’t had a ton of interest,” Devaney said. “If they’re interested, we’ll definitely try to offer that.”
While the pandemic is still going on, people are adjusting to their new normal.
“It’s a process of … mentally accepting that COVID-19 is here to stay,” Escoto said. “We have to … try our best to know what to do.”
