Recently, a new variant of COVID-19 has reached a record high. This new variant goes by the name of Omicron, short for “Little O,” in Greek. Omicron is a type of COVID-19, but is not as severe. Because of this severe outbreak, masks are coming back into the picture for many schools in the U.S.
With this variant, the numbers of positive tests are soaring, similar to early 2020. The symptoms of omicron have been shown through most people as a fever. This virus is rapidly spreading because most people don’t even realize they have it.
At Duncan Middle School, masks have not yet been required, instead recommended. Most students that enter the school wear a mask, but there are still students who choose not to. Recent attendance has shown that many students are out sick, but come back to school in a short day or two. There are still students that test positive for Omicron, but come back shortly because their symptoms go away.
One student who chooses to wear a mask is Reyna Murrilo. Reyna’s mom is a nurse, who understands how contagious the virus is.
“I do not like wearing masks, but I want to listen to my mom,” says Murrilo.
Murrillo believes that masks will help slow down the spread, and get students back to school. She hopes that more people will decide to wear masks to school to contribute to lowering the absence numbers.
A 7th grade student, Jensen Prince, wears a mask whenever he remembers to. Prince usually forgets to grab a mask in the morning, but tries his best to.
“I just wear a mask when I remember, but that usually doesn’t happen,” said Prince.
Another 7th grade student interviewed is Keiston Rosado. Rosado chooses to wear his mask as much as possible, because he believes that the smallest things will help.
Duncan Public Schools will continue with in-person learning, until the absence rates rise again. DPS shut down for two days to give students time to recover, and get back to being healthy. As DPS hopes to continue in-person learning, they can not predict the future.
