With the decline of the omicron wave of the coronavirus, the Laboratory Schools lifted the mask mandate, allowing students to freely choose whether or not they want to wear a mask around the school. This was something students had been craving for months. With the mask mandate being lifted, testing was also stopped. 

While the mask mandate has lifted, testing should be continued for the near future to insure the safety of the Lab community.    

By removing masks at Lab we open a space that if one person unknowingly has COVID-19 it could spread cases. To help ensure that a spread doesn’t happen, people should get tested weekly. By administering tests to students and faculty, people will become aware if they have COVID-19 and the school can contact trace the people that were around them allowing everyone to stay safe.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that testing along with contact tracing can help monitor and reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Tests can also allow people who are asymptomatic to be informed about being positive and to quarantine. 

The emerging hybrid COVID-19 variant, BA.2, is on the rise and expected to be most of the COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks, so it is imperative that we stay safe with continuing testing if Lab continues its mask-optional policy. 

The spike of COVID-19 cases is going down, but with BA.2, the hybrid COVID-19 variant, we should continue to and stay safe by testing once a week in order to insure there is no spread of COVID in the Lab community.