Some folks replying to Marr were adamant about the need for masks in schools as long as Covid is with us, especially to protect immunocompromised children and children under 5, who still won’t be able to get vaccinated. The vaccine should change things for us, and we don’t want kids to wear masks in school indefinitely.” “I put my thoughts out there, because we need to figure this out. “I’m almost afraid to talk about it, because people have such differing and strong opinions on this topic,” she told me. Linsey Marr, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech who studies the airborne transmission of viruses, said that when she tweeted about a potential timeline for lifting of masking rules once 5- to 11-year-olds start getting Covid vaccines, she was flooded with replies from all sides. The topic has become highly politicized, and it’s sure to get even more contentious now that the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
Mandatory masking at schools has been among the biggest issues in the country over the past few months, with instances of mask opponents berating and threatening school board meeting attendees.