Enormous COVID Restrictions Overhaul
Writers: Ariana Thornton, Emma Sordi, Elaine Qiao, Kendra Wang, David Chen, Ellie Ana Sperantsas
After weeks of pandemic restrictions, the Academy allowed mask-wearing for vaccinated individuals, removed twice-weekly COVID testing, implemented visitations, and permitted leaving campus and Out-of-Towns. Students and faculty shared mixed thoughts about the loosened protocols, which started September 23, as they balanced health concerns with greater options.
Of note, unvaccinated people are required to wear their mask indoors except when alone in their room or eating/drinking and to participate in twice-weekly testing. In addition, teachers who do not feel comfortable can require their classes to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, and masks are required for all students in assembly. General guidelines like social distancing are still recommended when possible.
Upper Ina Mason was a new student at Exeter last year, so this is her first experience with such loosened pandemic restrictions. “So, a chance to go without masks and have people in my room or hang out inside common rooms—I appreciate that,” Mason said.
Senior Ellie Gransbury agreed. “My experience has been generally very positive; I have been able to make better connections with my classmates in an unmasked environment. I am not all that worried about my own risk of infection on campus,” Gransbury said. “I would say that my concerns lie with those who are unvaccinated due to religious or medical exemptions. It is a challenge in and of itself to be othered by the community for remaining masked; I cannot imagine the stress.”
Lower Riya Tyagi was also worried about people’s health. “It's been really nice, but at the same time, I think it's dangerous. I only really have two qualms and that is the no weekly testing and opening up to town, because on campus, the majority of people are tested and this is basically a safe bubble, but outside of campus, there's still so much going on.”
Lower Charles Potjer similarly shared some apprehension. “I’ve gone out of town and it’s nice to get off campus a little bit, but the biggest effect is now that the [cold] is going around, a lot of my friends are in the health center.”
Tyagi added, “On campus, I completely welcome the normalcy. [Hanging out with friends] is so much easier when you're not wearing a mask or distancing. But whenever I'm going to town, [wearing a mask is] really a must.”
Tyagi believes the Exeter community will handle masking well. “In all of my classes, if I don't feel too well—I’ve seen other people do this too—I wear a mask. I know a few of my teachers require masks in class because they also don't agree with some of the new protocols.” Tyagi continued, “I think people are doing very well with being aware of the time when masks need to be worn, and I don't think that it's going to be a super large concern because most people are pretty proactive in handling it.”
Some students, such as lower Rowan Flanagan, felt more worry than excitement. “I feel like they made a poor choice in the order that they let the protocols down, by first stopping testing, then letting people go into town, then letting people unmask—it just seems like a perfect time for everyone to catch COVID and for it to rapidly spread,” Flanagan said.
“I'm not sure if I trust everyone on campus to always go to the health center if they're presenting certain symptoms, or to hold themselves accountable 100% of the time. It just takes one person to not hold themselves accountable for that to cause problems for the rest of the school,” Flanagan continued. “My greatest fear is getting COVID, then going home and giving it to my sister.”
Math Instructor Tim Whittemore expressed concern with the speed of COVID protocol liftings. “It feels a little fast. As with most things I'm deferring to people in the health center who know much more than I do, but it seemed a little fast to take off the masks the same day as Academy Life Day.”
Some students with medical conditions have heightened fears. “I personally have a medical condition that affects [my experience]. It's not good for me to take painkillers or cold medicine unless I really, really need it, so if something were to happen to me—COVID or any illness—it would not be good,” an anonymous prep said. A division in their eye makes it so that a variety of medicine could have the unpredictable effect of impairing their vision.
“So that’s why, even though I’m fully vaccinated, I’m still wearing a mask as much as I can and using my sanitizer, just because I’m trying to be as careful as possible,” the prep continued. “I also know there’s a lot of other people who are affected by health conditions, and so even if they follow all the standards perfectly, when everyone around them isn’t wearing a mask all the time, it can be very hard.”
“You should be able to sit and focus in class without worrying about whether you touched somewhere you need to sanitize, or if someone nearby doesn’t have a mask on and they sneezed,” the prep continued.
Faculty with small children who are not vaccinated also shared concerns. “I’m happy that the vaccination rates in New Hampshire are high, and relative to the rest of the country, infection rates are low,” Whittemore said. “On the other hand, I have two young kids who can't get vaccinated. I don't think I'm any more worried on campus than I am off campus; I’m just worried in general.”
Dean of Multicultural Affairs Sherry Hernández shared her experience with her five year old daughter, an unvaccinated child, in the context of the new mask protocols for adults at the Harris Family Children’s Center. “I feel semi-good about the fact that adults are no longer needing to wear masks at the Harris Family Children's Center. To me, that's really a wonderful way for my child to still understand body language: a teacher's smile, a teacher's reassurance, and affirmation through their facial expressions that is really comforting for young children. So for me, it has been positive,” Hernández said.
Hernández also has worries. “On the flip side, of course, my daughter can't be vaccinated. So I do worry about my daughter being in spaces where she is unmasked as well as other adults who may be carriers of COVID.”
Other faculty members share this sentiment. Instructor of Health Education Shane Lapointe provided her methods for keeping her unvaccinated children safe with the new protocols. “I am still abiding by sort of keeping my family close to home and not eating in the dining hall because that doesn't feel like the right decision for us right now,” Lapointe said. “In different spaces I'll make different choices.”
History Instructor Troy Samuels remarked about teachers’ choices for mask protocols in their own classrooms. “I know that some of my colleagues have small children or unvaccinated family members. The fact that they have the option to keep some of these restrictions in place is really important,” Samuels said.
French Instructor Katherine Fair acknowledged the autonomy given to teachers regarding masking protocols in their individual classrooms. “As soon as the administration lifted protocols, they also gave teachers permission to continue requiring masks in our own classrooms, which I did. My students instantly understood and complied without missing a beat, for which I am extremely grateful,” Fair said.
Samuels expressed gratitude for people who wear masks. “The reassurance I get from seeing those people who want to remain masked and are comfortable doing it makes me feel good to be part of this community,” Samuels said. “It makes me feel like it is maybe, cheesy as it sounds, that there is a sense of non sibi here, where we're taking care of each other in a way that really makes me happy.”
