With the more masks purchased, the more the world gets comfortable with them on their faces. Elementary, middle, and high school students all have spent monumental years with masks on. How will the mask mandate being lifted affect our students? Some of A-West’s students share their opinion on the topic. 

Braden Smith, a senior at A-West, expresses his concern. “I know I can immediately tell when my mask is off, it’s become a naked feeling.” 

When asked about his comfortability of being seen with a mask off Smith expressed, “With the fear of Covid aside, I don’t know if I get scared for people to see me, but I notice a lot of little things I do that I might think are awkward or embarrassing and I just start to over-analyze myself.” 

The Daily News wrote an article about how masks make people with social anxiety or anxiety about birth-given scars or marks, feel a lot more comfortable. They feel better going out in public and not wearing makeup knowing that they have a covering on their face. 

While masks are needed to keep everyone safe from Covid, there are other aspects that make masks more helpful to more socially anxious people. Freshman Makayla Ballard has a different opinion on the topic. 

“I feel like when people have their masks on you can’t really connect with them. It’s harder to make friends or even remember who you are talking to the next day with them on,” Ballard believes. 

“No matter what, it should be your choice to keep it on or off. It will be exciting to see everyone’s face again, but if you don’t feel safe you should 100% keep it on for yourself.” Smith shares. 

Masks are still helping us with so much, including saving students from a virus, but with the mandate being lifted it will soon be your choice to keep it on or off.