Ever since the corona virus pandemic happened, life has gotten more tough and difficult - from being quarantined to our homes, to social distancing, and schools being shut down. One of the simplest tasks the people of our community has been asked to do seems to be the most hated. I’m talking about wearing masks in public areas and government buildings. For most teens the most aggravating part of their day is simply having to wear a mask and cover their face at school.

I personally don’t like wearing masks at all; they rub my face and give me a rash and they hide my face which I’m not a fan of. What makes me mad the most is when I walk all the way to the doors of a building and then realize I forgot my mask in my car and then I have to go all the way back before being able to go inside. Most teenagers could probably relate to the aggravation of that. Another thing that frustrates students in school is that it’s hard to understand what our teachers are trying to say when they are instructing us. Because of the mask, the teachers voice sounds muffled and not clear.

So why do we still have to wear masks if they have a vaccine for COVID-19? The CDC says that without the vaccine you still pose a threat to the people around you because you could potentially carry the virus to someone else without knowing you’re sick. You could also still catch the virus and become fatally ill or even die. But what if we get vaccinated? The CDC now says as of Wednesday May 12th, 2021, that people who have been vaccinated don’t need to wear masks or social distance- although it could still help to take the extra precautions. The CDC also says that you aren’t considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after your second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or two weeks after the Johnson and Johnsen’s Janssen vaccine. Fully vaccinated individuals may return to doing all activities that you were allowed to do before the pandemic happened without a mask.

I’m now wondering what is going to happen next. Is the vaccine going to be forced onto everyone? Are schools going to make it a requirement to have the vaccine or are masks just going to continue to be required? This is such a questionable and confusing time and I think we all want more progress, answers, and truth from our government. But for now, we have to keep our masks up.