Mixed Emotions For Parents As Many Chicago Area Catholic Schools Lift Mask Mandates
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Many Chicago area Catholic schools are dropping mask requirements on Thursday, after the Chicago Archdiocese determined COVID-19 cases have fallen far enough to make masks optional.
Catholic Schools in Lake County and most of suburban Cook County will be going mask optional effective Thursday. However, masks will be required in areas where there is a local mandate; so in Chicago, Evanston, and Oak Park, masks will still be required based on local health department protocol.
CBS 2's Mugo Odigwe reports St. Ignatius College Prep high school on the Near West Side is one of the schools that will still have students masking up, and parents have varying opinions on that.
Maribeth McElveen has strong reasons for wanting St. Ignatius to get rid of its masking rule at school, saying her freshman daughter is vaccinated.
"It really is different having a mask on. It's uncomfortable. They'd like to see their friend's faces, and I think we've masked long enough," she said.
Other parents said it's possible to balance masking and unmasking.
"I think that for the majority of the day, when they're sitting in classrooms in close proximity, it would be advisable to wear a mask, because they're not separated with six foot distance that's recommended," Shelly Jain said.
Jain thinks students should be able to take their masks off during certain activities where they can be spaced out.
"I think we have to give kids the chance to breathe, express themselves through their facial movements and expressions, but that has to be done on a limited capacity based on the risk," she said.
The change for many Catholic Schools in the Chicago area comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is still recommending universal masking for all schools, saying now is not the moment to drop mask mandates in schools and other public places.
Still, some parents are hoping that moment comes sooner rather than later.