When the pandemic started last year in January no one thought that we would still be dealing with it two years later, but here we are!

The Highlighter asked random students in the hallway questions about how they felt being back in full person and how they felt about masks.

Youmna Elkabaili, a junior, said that she was happy to be back in person at school and when asked about masks she said, “they are uncomfortable but they are necessary, it’s worse to bury a loved one.”

Sophomore Erin Bohemer responded, “I don’t like wearing masks, but I love seeing people and I know why we have to wear them.”

Masks are “necessary even if they are irritating,” an anonymous senior replied.

Freshman Aria Hendrickson said, “They [masks] suck, but it’s worth it to keep everyone safe. You don’t know if people will lie about it [being sick].”

Brett Campbell, a junior, had a different attitude. When asked if he was happy to be back in person his response was, “kinda…sorta…yeah.” He also said that he feels terrible about masks, which many people also agreed with.

An anonymous sophomore said, “I’m vaccinated, so it’s annoying, but I’m dealing with it.”

“It’s worth it to keep everyone safe,” an anonymous freshman replied.

The Highlighter also asked students if they thought that vaccinated students and teachers should have to wear masks. (Note: vaccinated students typically do not need to isolate or quarantine.)

Noah Stevens, junior, Maya Sonnier, sophomore, and Sammy Harvey, sophomore, all said that vaccinated students and teachers should have to wear masks because the Delta variant could still spread no matter vaccination status.

A freshman who wished to remain anonymous, had a different opinion and said that if you’re vaccinated you should not have to wear masks.

The risk for Covid-19 is high in the county. According to the Larimer County COVID-19 dashboard, the county is averaging 50-100 confirmed cases of Covid-19 each day and emergency rooms are filling up. Colorado has had few deaths and overall done well with Covid protocols.