Con: Keep masks on

BY JAYNA KUKLIN Copy Editor and Reporter

California announced that the mask mandate will be lifted starting Feb. 15 after the mandate was reinstated in mid-December when the Omicron variant peaked in the state.

However, Los Angeles County said that it intends to keep its mask mandate in place, making it the only county other than Santa Clara to do so.

According to a Deadline article, the grade mask.

Even though the case numbers may be falling, it is not yet time to take off the masks. There should be concern if the current rate of cases per day goes up again.

According to an article from The Los Angeles Times, the current case rate for LA County is 9,500 cases per day, one-fifth of the Omicron peak of 44,000 from January. This rate is still six times more than the December average, which was 1,600 cases per day in the county.

These numbers should be a cause for concern, despite California having the highest vaccination rate in the United States, with 69.8% of the state being fully vaccinated and 81.2% having at least one dose as of Feb.11.

California was once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, having been the second state to close down after New York on March 10, 2020. Who is to say that it won’t be that way again if the state were to lift its mask mandate?

If we were to remove the mask mandate after Feb. 15, the number of infections would rise again, as well as hospitalization and case numbers.

The state would be forced to shut down fully for a second time, including businesses, schools and universities/colleges returning to learning on Zoom.

The country has been forced to combat the pandemic and among other arising issues.

In a press release, LA County District Two Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell said that the city cannot ignore the realities of public health orders that show up in hand with the pandemic in the county.

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Letters to the Editor

Dear Roundup,

As a student of Pierce College and member of Los Angeles Youth First Tobacco Coalition (LAYFTC), I am writing this letter to advocate for Pierce to go smoke-free. A report by California Youth Advocacy Network (CYAN) shows that all CSUs and UCs are 100% smoke-free (1). With 60% of community colleges in California measuring up to the UC and CSU standards, I am hopeful that Pierce College can do the same.

In reviewing the meeting minutes on going smokefree from the Pierce Work Environment Committee (WEC), there’s a concern for staff needing to leave the campus to smoke. This was said to make it unlikely for Pierce College to go smoke free in the future. However, with 68% of people who smoke want to quit (2), smoke-free environments have been proven to help (3). Thus, we should focus on providing cessation services to those who want to quit smoking.

It is also vital to recognize vulnerable groups, such as asthmatics or children, when considering going smoke-free—especially considering how close one of the designated smoking areas is to the

Barbara Ferrer said at a press briefing that the problem with the mask mandate lift is timing.

“Two years of fighting this pandemic has taught us many lessons, including the fact that wearing masks helps stop the spread of COVID-19,” Mitchell said.

In the end, the masking mandates are in place because many are reluctant to get vaccinated. Once everyone has the vaccine, masks might become irrelevant again. So please, stay safe and get vaccinated. The return to normalcy might come soon. jkuklin.roundupnews@gmail.com

“This is not the right time to stop wearing our masks indoors and in crowded outdoor settings,” Ferrer said.

Ferrer also stated that the post-surge trigger for easing some restrictions would be when virus-related hospitalizations fall below 2,500 for seven straight days. They currently clock in at 2,773, a sizable drop from 3,398 on Thursday. That easing would not include indoor masking, however. It would only be for masking at large outdoor events.

Child Development Center. Furthermore, in light of COVID-19, going smoke-free would help keep our lungs healthy and safe. Tobacco use decreases the body's potential to fight infection and raises the risk of lung disease and heart disease, resulting in a higher risk of serious COVID-19 complications (4).

My coalition conducted a public opinion survey regarding tobacco-use on campus to account for the diverse perspectives on the issue. The survey results show 87% of the Pierce College faculty, staff, students, and visitors believe a smoke-free campus would improve the health of the campus community. Highlights of our findings can be found on linktr.ee/ smokefreepierce.

I believe Pierce College can join the 60% of community colleges who have become champions of tobacco-free environments.

Sincerely, Sara

Karl Pierce College Student Los Angeles Youth First Tobacco Coalition

If there is one thing that we should not take for granted, it is that everyone suffers from COVID-19 differently. Those that are immunocompromised are expected to take extra precautions than those who are not.

Lifting the mask mandate is the last thing the county should have to deal with, especially considering the COVID surge in the winter.

Policy: Letters and guest columns for or against any position are invited. Letters should be kept as brief as possible (300 words or less) and are subject to editing. Letters must be signed and include a valid mailing address and telephone number.

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Writers are given the opportunity to revise unacceptable letters. The Pierce College Roundup will not publish, as letters, literary endeavors, publicity releases, poetry or other such materials as the Editorial Board deems not to be a letter. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. the Sunday prior to the issue date.

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