‘Ecstatic,’ but also ‘between a rock and a hard place’
Students, parents and business owners have mixed reactions to the eventual end of mandatory mask wearing: ‘This is a really tough situation’
Hamilton student Deema Abdel Hafeez is “conflicted.”
On one hand, she’s “ecstatic” about the prospect of normalcy, but, on the other, “we are still in the midst of a pandemic,” the 17-yearold said.
“A lot of my peers have expressed how worried they are to move in this direction, and risk another wave and school closure,” the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board student trustee told The Spectator. “A school is such a public setting with so many diverse needs, and we must think of a variety of students when making this decision, especially high-risk students and community members.” The province announced Wednesday the end of mandatory masking by March 21 in most Ontario settings, including schools.
“It is now a choice, not a mandate,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health. Elementary teacher Shideh Houshmandi echoed Abdel Hafeez’s sentiments.
“I may choose to continue to wear my mask. I think I feel more comfortable wearing it,” she said, adding that she wants to protect unvaccinated students and her elderly parents, in particular.
Houshmandi questions the wisdom in the timing, and is worried lifting requirements now will mean more “back and forth” in the future.
“(Students) have already expressed that they’re going places during March break, so lifting them after March break seems not the best choice,” she said. Houshmandi, who currently teaches a remote class from Parkdale Elementary School, supervises kids in classrooms at lunch.
But the French immersion teacher also sees the benefits for students, especially for language-learners.
“You can’t really hear them, they can’t hear you properly with the covering of the mouth,” she said. “It’s hard for me to understand them.”
In an email to The Spectator, Daryl Jerome, president of the local bargaining unit for the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, said dropping mask mandates is “premature.”
“The prudent move would be to wait until after some time has passed after mask mandates have been removed in other public settings so as to ensure the safety of high-risk individuals and those who cannot be vaccinated yet,” he said.
Boards say they are waiting for “formal direction” from the Ministry of Education and public health. Chair Dawn Danko told The Spectator that “the ministry has made it clear that boards cannot set their own mask requirements and are expected to follow the new direction.”
Stoney Creek parent Natasha Brown said she is worried about how this will impact her 12-year-old daughter, who has asthma. Brown said in an email that her daughter, who is set to get a booster next week, has been enrolled in remote learning since March 2020.
“I don’t feel its safe in the school system for her to be in person,” she said, adding that she feels schools will be a “disaster” with maskless kids, many of whom are unvaccinated.
In Hamilton, 52 per cent of kids ages five to 11 have a first dose and 32 per cent have a second dose. Among youth 12 to 17, 82 per cent have had two doses.
Brown, who works as a hairstylist, said she will be keeping her “double surgical masks on for a long time to come.”
“I work with so many different people that come in to the salon,” she said. “I want to be safe and I want our clients to be safe, as well ... the virus isn’t gone.”
‘No-win’ situation for businesses
The government has put local businesses in a “no-win” situation, said K-W Campol, co-owner of Coven Market, a plant-based deli, bakery and grocer near Gage Park.
“This is a really tough situation,” he said. “I feel really bad for fellow local businesses, for the decision they have to make and mostly for their staff, who will bear the brunt of this decision.”
Businesses are stuck “between a rock and a hard place,” Campol said, adding that Coven plans to let staff have a say in how to proceed.
“They either continue to enforce masking without the law backing them up ... or they let it up and sacrifice the health of their employees,” he said.
Neville Chambers, owner of Neville’s Barbershop on King Street East near Victoria, said he’s had to turn non-compliant customers away in the past.
As of March 21, Chambers said he “can’t force them to wear a mask.” But he does plan to wear one himself.
“Because of the closeness direct contact, I will be wearing my mask,” he said. “I will not stop.”
‘‘ You can’t really hear them, they can’t hear you properly with the covering of the mouth. SHIDEH HOUSHMANDI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER