Ontario lifted its mask mandate for most public places on March 21. Humber College will still require students to wear them on campus until the end of term.
Many students share their thoughts about having their choice of wearing a mask or not.
Monique Salvador, a first-year Advertising & Graphic Design student, says she feels better than she has an option to still wear a mask and that it is a step closer to normal life
When talking about the masks Salvador says “I like them obviously in a setting when it’s really crowded I feel a lot safer” She also said “I’ve noticed I also not got sick in a long time it defiantly helped a lot”
“I think the only worry is people who aren’t vaccinated so obviously it’s a choice but hopefully they’re still protecting themselves
Alayna Walker, a first-year Guelph-Humber Social Work student, says she’ll continue to wear a mask because COVID-19 numbers are still high.
How does she feel about masks in general? “It’s difficult being at school and being in communications classes because it’s hard to understand what they’re saying because it’s very muffled but I still want to wear it to be safe.”
“I do work in customer service so I’m around people so I am worried and I live with my grandma and I don’t want to expose her to anything so I am a little bit worried when I’m in public and I do catch something I can’t just not be home.”
Marcell Pienadz, a fourth-year Bachelor of Design student, says he wore masks before the pandemic whenever he had a cold.
“For people who are immune-compromised, I feel bad for them because it’s still a scary thing right now and it’s not like things are getting necessarily better, I feel like people are just tired of it and they just don’t want to be obeyed by the rules anymore,” Pienadz said.
Oneil David, a second-year business administration student, says that he feels kind of relived about the mask mandate being lifted.
He says he knows some people are uncomfortable being around those who are not wearing masks. “It really depends on how aggressive they are with it, other than that if it’s their personal opinion I really don’t care as long as the mask is on my face.”
Julia Ilano, a final-year student in Humber’s Baking and Pastry Arts program, says even thought there is a push to go back to normal life even, we should still be cautious because COVID is still around and people are still at risk.
When asked about how she feels about wearing a mask, Ilano said, “I am fully on board with them, even when COVID is done I still think we should wear masks when you are sick or anything, you know its pretty normalized within Asian countries and their doing pretty well.”
“My main concern is for those who are immune-compromised cause are very much at risk, I mean it varies from person to person but for me, I am worried about people who are more venerable to it,” said Ilano.