By Theodore Geigle
The Scene staff
Forest Park students and employees have mixed feelings about last week’s decision by St. Louis Community College to stop requiring everyone to wear COVID-19 masks.
Math tutor Connie McArthur is among those who welcome the change.
“I think it’s great because students have the choice,” she said. “I will continue to wear (a mask) because I have a handicapped brother.”
Medical experts have determined that people with underlying health conditions are more susceptible to serious illness if infected with the coronavirus.
McArthur has been vaccinated against COVID-19. She believes anyone not vaccinated should continue to wear a mask.
Sonograph technician student Krista Atwater, 20, is opposed to the college’s new policy.
“I think it’s stupid,” she said.
“They should have kept the mask mandate. If we take the mandate away, then we’re going to go back to the way it was in 2019, where everybody is getting sick and is being affected by it. I do not think it’s worth it.”
STLCC began requiring all students, faculty, staff and visitors to wear masks indoors and outdoors in 2020, when campuses reopened after a months-long shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chancellor Jeff Pittman recently announced that people would no longer have to wear masks at most STLCC locations, beginning March 2.
“However, you are still advised to keep a social distance to the extent possible,” he wrote in an email. “For those who prefer to wear a mask, you are welcome to do so without judgment.”
A mask mandate remains in effect at a few STLCC locations, including the dental clinic in the Center for Nursing and Health Sciences on the Forest Park campus.
STLCC encourages people not vaccinated against COVID-19 to continue to wear masks indoors, according to Pittman’s announcement.
“The College strongly recommends a COVID-10 vaccine as an effective way to protect your health,” he wrote.
Pittman didn’t give a reason for the change in policy. But in recent days, many governments, organizations and businesses across the country have repealed mask mandates in keeping with new Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, citing decreases in the number of COVID-19 cases.
About half of students, faculty, staff and visitors were wearing masks on the Forest Park campus March 2, and that pattern seems to have remained steady.
Forest Park chemistry major Terrel Johnson, 18, is glad to have the option of not wearing a mask.
“You can wear one by choice, and it may make more people want to wear one because it’s their choice. The way viruses operate is that they will become less lethal and spread more.”
Joseph Rodgers is largely ambivalent about the change in STLCC policy.
The Forest Park librarian has a large collection of interesting masks, including those with Spider-Man and Harry Potter themes, so he doesn’t mind wearing them.
“I always try to be respectful about it, and if people want me to wear one, I will,” he said.
Reading tutor Martha Haley, 72, believes people should continue to wear masks on campus and in other public places, given that COVID-19 still exists and can make you sick.
“I’m older, so I’m more susceptible to conditions,” she said. “I really think (the mandate) should continue, and I prefer those who are not vaccinated to wear them around me.”
Child development student Tae Jackson, 18, believes that it’s OK to remove masks outside, but not inside.
“If you in a restaurant or mall, it becomes a breeding ground for COVID,” she said.
STLCC will continue to seek guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and local health departments and make adjustments to its policy if necessary, according to Pittman’s announcement.
People can get more information on the college’s website, which includes general COVID-19 policies and a Safe Return Plan.
“Please be patient as the College replaces signs on campus, updates the website and other informational materials with the changes regarding masks at STLCC,” Pittman wrote.