To Mask or Not to Mask: ND Students Respond to New Masking Protocols

Over the course of the pandemic, the choice of whether or not to wear a mask has changed multiple times, due to changes in mask mandates, the varying numbers of COVID cases, and new variants. On Thursday, March 24, Notre Dame sent out an email saying that masks are strongly recommended but optional for indoor settings, starting on Monday, March 28. However, there are be certain spaces where teachers or staff members have requested that people wear their masks. This exception was included to respect the requests of concerned individuals or immunocompromised community members. This announcement came after the school had announced a few weeks prior that masks would be optional outdoors. However, since the new protocol has been effected, a majority of students continue to wear their masks on a regular basis, prompting questions as to why. 

A survey asking students about their thoughts on the new protocol, including whether or not they would continue to wear their masks indoors, received an array of anonymous results. Students were only asked to respond to questions that they felt comfortable doing so. In 43 out of 47 responses, students said that they would continue to wear their masks indoors, with just one person saying that they would no longer wear a mask, and three students saying that they were unsure. Reasons ranged from wanting to protect themselves from COVID-19 or wanting to protect other individuals who are immunocompromised. Others said that they were so used to wearing a mask that they would continue to wear one. 18 out of 47 students said that they still felt uncomfortable with other students not wearing masks, and cited mask wearing as a way of assuring that they were still protected. 29 out of 47 students said that they felt the mask protocol should have been adjusted later because of new variants, but the remaining 18 said that they did not care and recognized that some steps toward normalcy needed to be taken.

Although safety is a factor, 20 out of 40 students also cited social awkwardness as a reason for continuing to wear their masks. The masks have made it so that students have become uncomfortable with showing the rest of their faces, fearing judgment from their peers. Some responses say that the new protocol has led to divisions among students who choose to remain masked and those who opt to not wear a mask, and one response states that the former tend to judge the latter. Awkwardness is likely also a concern for freshman and sophomore students, for many of whom it is their first year on campus, as they settle into the community and navigate new social dynamics. 

Outside of school, many of these reasons behind mask wearing also exist. Although there are people who do not enjoy wearing masks, they continue to do so because of safety reasons. Additionally, the heavy politicization of mask wearing has caused some people to continue to wear a mask out of fear of others making assumptions that they could be an anti-vaxxer or more concerned with their individualistic rights being taken away than caring for others. This could be seen as problematic since masks are first and foremost about protecting one’s health rather than how one is perceived in interpersonal circles. Ultimately, the decision to wear a mask at ND shows just how much masks provide a sense of physical and social security.