End the mask mandate/ requirements for our Maine students! 
   Maine has mandated that students wear face coverings while at school to help with the spread of covid19. Here in Maine we have very few cases and even fewer deaths. With the survival rate at 99% we have to do what is best for the students. Face to face education is the best classroom environment for most children. The social desensitization of masked children could have long term and detrimental effects on their spiritual, emotional, and mental well being.
   If likely damage to the psyche is not enough to do away with the mandate, we can go further to state that without having published studies proving that prolonged masking of children does not reduce necessary oxygen levels, increase risk of co2 toxicity, increase the risk of fungal infections, and affect brain function, we are taking a brave risk. Children and teens with covered faces may be at increased risk for headaches, difficulty breathing, seizures, vertigo, behavioral problems, and other ailments.
   The likelihood that children, teens, and even adults will not responsibly or properly take don and doff masks, reuse soiled masks, and touch their faces more frequently, dramatically raises the probability of infections. The excessive touching of face and contaminated masks is unsanitary. Face masks will cause our students to be distracted and keep them from focusing on learning and most importantly keep them from being able to communicate and express themselves! These are critical years of development and an entire generation we are hindering of life long skills. 
  As of now the cdc claims that “masks may help those who are infected from spreading the infection, there is less information regarding whether masks offer any protection for a contact exposed to a symptomatic or Asymptomatic patient. This is irrespective of whether the person with COVID-19 or the contact was wearing a mask or whether the contact was wearing respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE).” In conclusion if someone has COVID-19 they can spread the virus regardless of whether or not they are wearing a face mask. For years we have only masked the sick, not the healthy.
   Let those who are sick stay home and let each individual decide if they would like to wear a mask or not. Let our youth have a face, a voice, and a future! 

Sign this petition to end the mask mandates for school children in Maine!!! 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus/index.shtml#situation

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7417296/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4868614/

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-children-and-masks-related-to-covid-19