Last month, New Brunswick dropped its mask mandate for K-12 schools. Soon after, 19 of the province’s pediatricians wrote an open letter urging the government to reinstate. 

Masks are still mandatory in K-12 schools in Newfoundland and Labrador, but the government will decide in the following weeks whether they will keep or drop the mandate. Let’s urge them to keep masks in schools and keep our children and our province safe. 

Newfoundland and Labrador is currently experiencing its highest rates of infection, death, and hospitalization since the beginning of the pandemic. Over 3714 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in our schools. Waning immunity and loosened safety measures, combined with the arrival of the BA.2 subvariant, create the potential for a sixth wave that will overwhelm our already strained healthcare system. 

The notion that COVID is “just like the flu” is contradicted by studies that show its damaging effects on the heart, brain, and other major organs. It is estimated that at least 10% of people who contract COVID will suffer from long haul COVID, a debilitating condition characterized by exhaustion, cognitive deficits, and many other symptoms. These outcomes can occur in people of all ages, even with mild or asymptomatic cases.  

While vaccines have proven effective at curbing the worst effects of acute infection, they are not enough on their own. Masks, along with improved ventilation, testing and other measures, are an easy, safe, and effective means of slowing the spread of the virus. Let’s keep our province safe by keeping masks in schools.