Masks, Vaccines In Schools Supported By Floridians: Patch Survey

FLORIDA — As the new school year starts in Florida, whether students and teachers should wear masks or not — and if school districts should defy the governor over mask mandates as the coronavirus pandemic rages on — has been a hot-button issue.

Florida continues to be one of the states hardest hit by the fourth wave of COVID-19 cases. In recent weeks, around 150,000 new cases of coronavirus have been reported weekly in the state, a number that has steadily increased since the end of June.

Hospitalizations and deaths from the virus are also higher than they’ve been since the start of the pandemic. The state also had a new case positivity rate of 19.8 percent between Aug. 13-19, according to the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 Weekly Situation Report.

Despite this surge in cases and concerns that more children are getting sick from COVID-19, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a July executive order that school districts must give parents a choice about whether their children wear masks in the classroom or not, effectively barring school mask mandates. The Florida Department of Education has also pushed for masks to be optional in schools.

The governor’s order goes against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations that people, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, wear masks indoors in parts of the country where COVID-19 cases are on the rise. The CDC also recommends all K-12 students in the United States wear masks at school.

Multiple Florida school districts, including those in Alachua, Broward, Duval, Leon, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Orange, Palm Beach and Sarasota counties, have defied DeSantis by putting mask mandates in place with only medical exemptions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

It’s been a divisive issue in many communities, as school boards have endured lengthy, contentious meetings with outspoken pro-mask and anti-mask parents and community members speaking out on the issue.

Florida Patch recently asked readers to share their thoughts on face masks, vaccines and other COVID-19 safety protocols in schools, as well as their personal habits in public.

Patch received 3,671 responses to the survey. The survey is meant not to be a scientific poll, but only to give a broad idea of public sentiment.

Nearly 72 percent of respondents said they believe K-12 students in Florida should be required to wear masks indoors this fall. About 27 percent said they shouldn’t be required to wear masks while 1 percent were unsure.

About 73 percent of those who took the survey said that teachers should also be required to wear masks indoors at school, while 25 percent said they shouldn’t be mandated to wear them and nearly 2 percent weren’t sure.

“It’s just common sense. Follow the scientific proof, not outrageous conspiracy theories,” one reader wrote.

Another respondent said, “Wearing a mask is the equivalent of telling a stranger I care about you and want you to be healthy.”

With the Pfizer vaccine fully approved for everyone 16 and older and also given approval for emergency use for children 12 to 15 years old, there’s also been some debate about whether the vaccine should be required for middle school and high school students.

According to Patch’s survey, about 58 percent of respondents thinks that children 12 and up should be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine to attend school. Nearly 32 percent of those who took the survey think it shouldn’t be required for them and about 10 percent of respondents were uncertain.

One respondent wrote, “It is amazing this is a political issue. I believe in freedom as much as the next Republican but herding 40 mostly unvaccinated kids into a room is asking for trouble.”

When asked if teachers and school staff should be required to get vaccinated, nearly 69 percent of respondents said yes, nearly 27 percent said no and nearly 5 percent were unsure.

Of everyone who took the survey, nearly 83 percent said they have received at least one dose of an approved coronavirus vaccine, while nearly 16 percent said they haven’t gotten the shot and don’t intend to and 2 percent haven’t been inoculated yet, but plan to get the shot at some point.

“We will never get ahead of this virus unless we all get vaccinated. That’s how we have eradicated so many other deadly diseases like polio,” one respondent wrote.

When asked about their mask-wearing habits and how frequently they wear their mask indoors when in public, about 62 percent of respondents said they always or nearly always wear it, while nearly 22 percent they never or almost never wear it. Nearly 8 percent of respondents said they wear their mask in public more than half the time, about 4 percent said they wear it about half the time and about 4 percent said they wear it less than half the time.

When asked if they would wear a mask indoors if coronavirus cases begin to surge in their area, nearly 75 percent said they would, while about 20 percent said they wouldn’t and about 5 percent said they were unsure.

“Nobody has the right to endanger someone else’s health,” one reader wrote. “Privacy ends when you leave your house - now you’re in the public square. We put babies in car seats. We wear seatbelts. We stop at red lights. This is all in the name of public health. Protecting others from our own potential germs is public health. If you don’t want to wear a mask, stay home.”

There’s also been some debate about whether vaccination should be required to attend public events or dine indoors. About 58 percent of respondents said that proof of vaccination should be required, while nearly 32 percent said this proof shouldn’t be asked for and about 10 percent are unsure.

About 79 percent of respondents also said that local businesses should be allowed to require masks, while nearly 19 percent said they shouldn’t be allowed to require this and about 2 percent weren’t sure.

The majority of respondents also thinks Florida should issue a mask mandate. About 68 percent said there should be a statewide mask mandate, 28 percent disagreed with them and nearly 4 percent were unsure.

“We need to follow the science of COVID. Our scientists (medical doctors included) are trying their best to fight this pandemic,” one reader wrote. “The only way to stop the spread of the virus is by following the recommended vaccinations (and) masks. Too many people are dying. Too many people are going to have long-term COVID complications, which are completely preventable. Yes, to masks! Yes, to vaccinations! Make it a mandate because people don’t believe this is real.”