Masks and face shields were not seen as DT opened its doors for the 2021-2022 school year on Thursday, Aug. 19. With Covid-19 still rearing its ugly head, there’s still a possibility that DT students and staff will have to mask up again for this school year. For now, faculty and students are enthusiastic they are no longer mandated to wear masks. 

“I am happy we don’t have to wear masks in school because it feels normal again,” stated sophomore Tyler Engel. 

If Covid-19 cases rise or students and staff get sick with Covid-19, masks might have to be pulled out because according to the CDC, multi-layer cloth masks can block up to 50-70% of Covid-19 droplets and particles.

DT may see more masks in the hallways if student’s families come down with Covid-19 or if students choose to wear a mask to protect themselves, especially if they aren’t vaccinated and want protect themselves from contracting the virus.

When asked about the effectiveness of paper and cloth masks, DT school nurse, Jaime Kreutz, explained: “Paper and cloth masks are not as effective as N-95 masks because N-95 masks reduce the wearer's exposure to particles including small particle aerosols and large droplets.” 

She further explained that Covid-19 will always be around and the best way to return to “normal” is by getting the vaccine, monitoring symptoms and if feeling sick stay home. These are all recommendations put out by the health department to get past this pandemic.

Since there is an uptick of Covid-19 cases in our health district, masks, gators, and face shields may be on the horizon.