More parents asked by the Jamaica Observer seem prepared to have their children wear masks in the classroom than those who are against, as the education ministry continues its push to have students adhere to the COVID-19 protocol which the Government says is no longer mandatory.

Since March 18, all the COVID-19 restrictions under the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) have been withdrawn, but the ministry in its most recent bulletin urged school administrations to recommend the wearing of masks among staff and students, especially in enclosed environments such as classrooms and auditoriums.

“In light of the relaxed measures, it will be extremely important for the temperature checks and sanitisation procedures to be maintained… We continue to encourage school administrators to mobilise all support systems to ensure the safety of all staff and students,” it added.

The ministry’s appeal appears to have resonated with some parents, including Kadeen James Ricketts, a mother of two, who said she would not stop her children from wearing masks.

“I told my children to wear it same way because COVID is not gone. It is still around. I wouldn’t want them to stop wearing it right now. So I am still taking the necessary precautions,” Ricketts told the Observer.

Stressing that mask-wearing is the safest choice, Ricketts said: “Everybody coming from different areas for school. For example, I am taking the necessary precautions and another parent might not. Their children might pass on the virus to my children and they bring it home.”

Marlon Forrester, father of three, is of the same mind: “We can’t take things for granted. It’s not as if we definitely know that the pandemic is over. But, it will be hard for the children to keep up with it. As you know, they love to interact with their peers, touch them, play with them, all of those things. So I support the mask-wearing.”

A similar view was shared by his sister-in-law, Janice Forrester, who is a mother of two boys attending secondary school.

“I still think they should [wear masks] because we are not out of the woods. People are still getting sick — look at what is happening in China. We still have COVID-19 cases. To be on the safer side, I still have them wearing it to school and I still think the principals of the schools should really have them wear it. But, they might have it on in schools and it’s a different thing outside of school,” she said.

Another parent, who requested anonymity, said he is against the maintaining of the safety protocol as it has not been effective in schools.

“Honestly, the mask thing never really stopped the kids from getting anything because of the fact that outside of the mask, when they are playing or when they are having a break period, they don’t even have it on. The teacher may want to really control the wearing of it but when the teacher has about 40 students, she might not be able to manage,” the father of four told the Observer.

“They are advised to wear it and but some kids are just unruly. I think in all retrospect of the mask thing, we should get used to the type of elements in the air instead of trying to restrict it. It is hard to restrict because of how we were brought up.

“We were brought up to socialise and the mask does put a barrier between who you are having a conversation with. It is an irritating thing around the face so I don’t think they can actually keep it up,” he added.

Mother of two Tracy-Ann Stewart, who was also opposed to mask wearing, stressed: “I don’t support it, because I don’t really believe in this coronavirus thing. Your brain is an organ that needs oxygen. So with this mask – some people have two or three layers of cloth on their faces, you are not getting to breathe in the nice, clean fresh air. I think it should be done with,” Stewart insisted.

Holness, in his contribution to the 2022/23 budget debate, recently said that the wearing of face masks was no longer mandatory, but advised mask-wearing in enclosed spaces to which the public has access, for example, supermarkets, banks, and tax offices. This will be retained until April 15, 2022.