According to the CDC, fully vaccinated Americans are no longer required to wear masks or socially distance. So what does this mean? Are Americans ready for such a big change? Although COVID-19 is not over, nor is someone’s ability to transmit the disease to others, we now have a little more freedom than we did last year. While being safe and considerate, it is possible to still have fun and live life. This past school year, students have missed out on crucial parts of high school experiences. There weren’t school dances, students couldn’t attend school sporting events, and slightly insignificant, students couldn’t eat lunch or spend time outside of the classroom. Outside of school, there aren’t anymore mass gatherings and eating in restaurants feels strange. Now we have the opportunity to experience some of the new normal, but are we ready?

A tenth grade student from Thomas A. Edison High School, Aani Akins, said “I would like to not have to wear a mask during sports games.” Aani is a competitive basketball player who plays several games a week and even on weekends. She mentioned that it is difficult for her to effectively play to her full potential since the mask makes it hard to breathe. 

She also mentioned, “I’m looking forward to hanging out at large events.” As mentioned before, COVID-19 has prohibited us from truly enjoying mass gatherings with other people. In the past year, many events have been canceled and postponed. In Washington D.C., hundreds of festivals, events, and White House celebrations opened to the public have been restricted until further notice. These events truly brought people together in this city. Hopefully new CDC updates will secure a fun future of safe and considerate mass gatherings. 

“I just want to feel normal again, I just want to feel free,” Flint Hill student Sydney Bryant says. This has been a common saying within the world. Unfortunately, normal will not look like what it did a couple of years ago. We have to embrace a new normal. Although we are still living in a pandemic, we can’t allow the valuable time on this Earth slip away from us while we are here. So while still being safe, go out and live a little more.