WEB EXCLUSIVE | Convent & Stuart Hall will follow suit with the city in no longer enforcing masks in schools beginning on March 12.

“I think it’s going to be a good thing that we won’t have to wear masks at school anymore,” senior Natalie Stans said. “At this point, I think we have become very used to it, but like anything else, wearing a mask can be cumbersome at times.” 

Since Feb. 14, COVID-19 cases have declined by 66% and hospitalizations by 48%, according to the California Department of Public Health. This is due to the collective efforts by the community to get vaccinated, boosted and wear masks indoors.

“We will support and create a welcoming environment for those who choose to wear their masks as well as those who do not,” President Dr. Ann Marie Krejcarek said in an email to the school community. “We are so pleased to see these signs of recovery from a world impacted by the pandemic.” 

Marks will still be required for all public transit, senior care facilities and healthcare centers in San Francisco. The Center for Disease Control recommends wearing masks in high-risk settings for protecting more vulnerable populations. 

“I think we were all expecting this to happen sooner or later with vaccination rates increasing so much,” junior Emma Cameron said. “I’ll probably continue to wear my mask at school but at least we have the option to take it off.” 

Students and faculty should stay home if they have any symptoms, even if it is determined that the cause is not COVID-19, according to the email sent by Krejcarek. 

“If a student has flu-like symptoms during the school day, then they will be asked to put on a mask and be evaluated in the infirmary,” Krejcarek said via an email. “Our school cases spiked in January and then declined significantly, however we’re going with the SF CDP’s recommendations.” 

No longer having to wear masks in many indoor settings has prompted a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy and is a step in the right direction, according to Stans. 

“I’m looking forward to March 12 and hopefully Covid rates stay minimized,” Stans said. “I think it’ll feel really different seeing everyone’s faces walking around the halls at school.”