New Jersey To End School Mask Mandate On March 7, Parents Divided On Issue
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- New Jersey will lift the statewide mask mandate in schools on March 7. Gov. Phil Murphy made the announcement on Twitter on Monday.
"Balancing public health with getting back to some semblance of normalcy is not easy. But we can responsibly take this step due to declining COVID numbers and growth in vaccinations," Murphy tweeted.
Eyewitness News asked parents how they feel about kids being able to ditch the mask at some schools soon, and it was clear that some are more ready than others.
"I feel like the mask is working," one parent said
Talking to parents in two South Jersey parking lots is all it took to experience the full spectrum of the mask mandate debate.
"I don't think masks work," another parent said.
Some parents were ecstatic to hear Gov. Murphy's plans to drop the state's mask mandate in schools next month.
"They're just uncomfortable, hard to see each other's facial expressions," mother Lindy Shields said. "My one daughter in kindergarten, she hasn't seen her classmates' faces the entire year, and I just think it's a hindrance to their development."
Others argue with COVID-19 still spreading, it's too soon to relax preventative policies.
"I think they should wear masks to keep them safe. I feel as though until the pandemic is over, we all should wear masks to protect each other," Wanda, who is a mother of three, said. "I'd rather have them home-schooled and have it online where they did it before."
New Jersey State Senator Mike Testa welcomes the policy change from Gov. Murphy. He just wonders why wait to implement it?
"He's picked some arbitrary date of March 7," Testa said. "We think tomorrow is best. So, we're demanding that Gov. Murphy unmask our kids tomorrow."
In search of a larger sample size, CBS3's Ross DiMattei posted a Twitter poll asking New Jersey parents to weigh in on the debate. With more than 100 votes, 58% say they support dropping the mask mandate in schools, while 42% say it's still too soon.
Folks in Delaware are just as divided.
"I think it's a relief. It's good to not have to wear a mask to do your shopping," one resident said.
Another said, "I just think it's such an easy thing to wear a mask. I don't think it's a big deal. Just put a mask on, you protect yourself, you protect your neighbors, you protect your friends."
Even when these mask mandates are lifted, school districts and child care centers will still have the option to enforce their own mask mandates, and students and staff will still have the option to wear masks in schools if they want.
CBS3's Ross DiMattei contributed to this report.
