COVID in Schools: How Safe Do Hamberites Feel?

DAVID ZHANG

With the shifting school schedule in past years, there have also been many changes to safety regulations and mask mandates in schools. Previously in the quarter system, this included the establishment of cohorts, sanitizing stations, a mandatory mask mandate, and the cancellation of many clubs and sports. 

However, the semester system has brought about many alterations to these protocols. According to Vancouver Coastal Health, there have been a decreased number of COVID-19 cases across all schools in Vancouver. But apart from what the numbers say about school safety regulations, how exactly do Hamberites feel about the changing safety regulations?

There is a consensus that Hamber’s safety regulations are adequate and when asked, students communicated they feel safe a majority of the time at school. Hamberites think the current safety protocols are suitable for both allowing freedom at social activities and ensuring the general safety of staff and students. 

Anthony Lu (10) states that “the current mask mandate is just right because while the virus has not disappeared and is not on a clear decline, the worst of it seems to be over.” In addition, students seem to have incorporated the safety regulations into “the school lifestyle” as Elena Leung (12) elaborates. “I guess I don’t really have any strong feelings about the mask mandate since we’ve been doing it for a year now and I’m kind of just used to it,” Leung added.

Compared to last year, the change in safety regulations may also be attributed to the large number of staff and students who are now vaccinated. The number of vaccinated individuals has prompted a general sense of safety at school, where students rarely feel uncomfortable. As Eric Li (11) stated, “other students are also abiding to safety regulations by wearing masks and social distancing.” In fact, Eric says that he prefers the semester system’s safety regulations to the quarter system ones as there has been more time to implement effective safety protocols. Yet, some students have also encountered situations in which they are uncomfortable. Nicole Wong (11) shared, “Occasionally, I will see people without their masks on, which makes me a bit uncomfortable, but not because I feel unsafe, more that I feel that they aren’t taking COVID as seriously as they should.”

Some students have also encountered unsafe situations outside of school. Elena Leung described one such experience she had while going to a doctor’s appointment, sharing “On the way to a doctor’s appointment by Vancouver General Hospital, there were a group of protestors protesting against the COVID-19 vaccine and it felt so wrong.” 

There are, however, many safety concerns about one aspect of the new school day: lunch. “I think that the mask mandate is a really good thing on the surface, but the fact that we can take them off to eat while in a crowded area, like the cafeteria for example, seems rather counter-intuitive,” Lily Kong-Waller (11) says, “I’m comfortable taking my mask off around my friends because I know that they’re vaccinated and what they’ve been doing, but in an area like the cafeteria where there are people I don’t know, I usually am not comfortable taking off my mask.” With established social circles and groups during lunch, it seems that students inevitably adhere less to safety regulations during lunch. Anthony commented on the situation further: “I find that eating lunch is one of the biggest issues right now because it requires us to remove our masks. Although that is difficult to get around, even solutions like providing hand sanitizer in Period 2 classes, right before lunch, would be helpful.”