Requiring masks in Idaho schools, even just for the start, is the safest thing to do

School board members once again are placed in the unenviable position of having to make difficult decisions regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest is the question of whether to require everyone to wear masks when Idaho schools return in the next couple of weeks.

The Boise School District already announced its decision last week, requiring students and staff to wear masks while indoors when they head back to their buildings next week.

Boise State University, the University of Idaho and Idaho State University all announced mask mandates this week.

We understand and appreciate the principles of individual choice and the desire of parents to make health decisions for themselves and their families, whether it’s wearing a mask or getting a vaccine.

However, when it comes to COVID-19 and the emergence of the delta variant of the novel coronavirus, these become more than personal decisions.

Because the coronavirus can spread so easily and quickly — and especially because it can happen without symptoms being present — the decision to not wear a mask affects the health of those around you.

You may see it as your personal health choice to send your child to school without a mask, but it’s not just your child and your choice. Without a mask, your child can more easily spread the virus to the student sitting at the next desk, and that student can get sick or bring the coronavirus home to his grandmother or 7-year-old little sister, who can’t yet get vaccinated.

Yes, we recognize that the transmission and dangers of COVID-19 are demonstrably and empirically lower among younger people. But that doesn’t mean it’s nonexistent.

And with COVID-19 cases spiking here, every little bit of spread hurts.

With about 700,000 Idahoans fully vaccinated and about 206,000 cases of COVID-19 in Idaho, that leaves about 1 million Idahoans susceptible to the disease. As we’re seeing, plenty enough people are susceptible that hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths are trending back up in fairly dramatic fashion.

That puts a strain on the health care system, which is the most important thing to protect — because that affects everyone, whether you have COVID-19 or not.

St. Luke’s announced Wednesday that, because of sustained high patient volumes in its medical centers, and significant and increasing COVID-19 activity resulting in hospitalization in the community, the health system is temporarily pausing certain elective surgeries and procedures that require an overnight hospital stay.

We wouldn’t have such a problem if our vaccine uptake were better. As it is, Idaho has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation at just 47%. Among younger Idahoans, it’s even lower, at 18% for ages 12-15, and 27% for those 16-17.

Getting those vaccination rates up with help the situation. Gov. Brad Little, in a press conference Thursday, pleaded with Idahoans to get the vaccine. He pointed out that among the cases of COVID-19 in Idaho:

• 98.9-percent of new COVID-19 cases since Jan. 1, 2021, were people not vaccinated
• 98.6-percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations since Jan. 1, 2021, were people not vaccinated
• 98.7-percent of COVID-19 deaths since Jan. 1, 2021, were people not vaccinated
• Since May 15, there have been 10 times as many COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated people compared to vaccinated people
• Since May 15, there have been 13 times as many COVID-19 hospitalizations among unvaccinated people compared to vaccinated people
• Since May 15, there have been 8 times as many COVID-19 deaths among unvaccinated people compared to vaccinated people.

Too many people seem to want to have it both ways: refusing to get vaccinated but then not taking the necessary precautions of wearing a mask around others.

It’s reasonable for school boards to at least temporarily require masks in schools when students, staff and teachers return.

Everyone wants in-person learning this year. We all recognize how vital that is. The last thing we want are outbreaks that cause a start and stutter, forcing a backslide to remote learning. Everyone wants sports seasons to return. Outbreaks put those sports seasons in jeopardy. That’s one of the reasons Little held his press conference at the Nampa High School gym, to emphasize the risk that COVID-19 places on holding normal sports seasons.

It would also be reasonable for school board members to set a time limit — say two weeks — after which they reevaluate whether masks are still required based on community spread, cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the community. If things get better, remove the mask mandate.

In the end, the science and research have shown that masks do mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. No, masks won’t eliminate it altogether, but they help, and at this point, every bit helps. Masks are an inconvenience, but they’re a minor inconvenience and a small price to pay to stem the tide of a rising surge in cases and deaths.

It is eminently reasonable for school boards to require masks indoors for everyone, following guidelines on K-12 education issued last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Due to the circulating and highly contagious Delta variant, CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.”

No doubt, school board members have had to make tough decisions, and we don’t envy them in these times. Please recognize that these fellow parents and community members might make decisions that you disagree with. That doesn’t mean it’s tyranny.

If school board members make a decision that you don’t agree with, that doesn’t give you the right to shout at them and threaten them. That doesn’t help, and frankly, it diminishes your credibility.

Kudos to the parents in the Boise School District who showed up and quietly registered their displeasure with that school board by wearing yellow and holding signs opposing the decision to require masks. Duly noted.

But school board members are just trying to make the right decision and keep everyone safe while in school.

And the best way to do that is to require everyone wear masks.

This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 4:14 PM.