2021 Gumbo final - Book - Page 62
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campus masks
I
n July of 2020, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a
mandatory mask requirement for the state of Louisiana
due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Further,
he imposed a limit to social gatherings and capped them at
a maximum of 50 people. Though the state saw improved
COVID-19 infection numbers and loosened some of these
restrictions—resulting in bigger gatherings and more
business openings—the mask mandate remained in place
for almost a year. Wearing a mask not only protects one’s
self, but everyone nearby, as well.
According to the Health and Safety portion of the LSU
Roadmap, “the use of face coverings [was] required on
campus, especially when it is not possible to maintain
appropriate physical distancing of at least six feet, such as
entering and exiting campus.” LSU provided every student
with an LSU mask to promote the wearing of masks around
school and in different social settings.
Students typically gather in many different places on
campus to study or simply socialize; the Student Union, for
example. Cicily Christophe, the Student Union Information
Desk assistant, said that she noticed a lot of people coming
in and wearing their masks, but if they didn’t, she told them
they were not allowed in the building. She added that taking
off masks in small study groups was permitted.
“I think that the mask mandate [was] necessary, especially
for us young people because we are able to carry COVID-19
and spread it around to different people who can’t afford to
be sick,” Christophe said.
LSU’s University Recreation also required that all staff
members wore face masks during shifts. All visitors wore
masks upon entry and exit of campus facilities, per the
Governor’s Executive Order. This meant that students could
not run, cycle, rock climb or do any of the other activities the
UREC provided without a proper face covering.
Freshman Tiger Girl, Sarah Bryan, said that the Tiger
Girls has to wear masks (provided by LSU Athletics) to their
practices.
“I think it [was] definitely important,” Bryan said. “It
definitely protected us since we wanted to be able to practice
and have a season, and if that makes us able to train and
stay with our teammates then it [was] worth it.”
Another freshman, Gabriel Guillory, said he took a
dance class wearing a mask and “about passed out and
that working out with a mask on is suffocation.” However,
Guillory added that he thought the mask mandate was
amazing, and the more people that people take it seriously,
the faster Louisiana could get out of it.
Wearing a mask was a part of everyday life. Whether it’s
from Old Navy, Walmart, Amazon or the fashionable LSU
mask, it aided in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Though
some people found mask wearing to be a pain, it was
essential in moving forward to a better reality away from the
virus. Slowing the spread was essential to making life normal
again, and mask wearing was a crucial factor in doing so.