According to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 6 in 10 Americans are pro-mask-wearing in schools, and also endorse that students and teachers should receive the vaccine. This follows after a surge in COVID-19 cases around the country, but even then, political lines broaden the division between views.
These debates on masks and vaccines continue to heat up the modern American landscape as Republican governors ban mask mandates. US President Joe Biden, a notable endorser of masks and vaccines, is willing to pursue legal action against these politicians. The political divide in mask mandates amidst the health crisis is astounding– around 3 in 10 Republicans say that they are in favor of mask mandates and vaccination in schools compared to 8 in 10 Democrats.
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President Biden’s endorsement of masks and vaccines among young people is no surprise. Recently, he invited actress and pop star Olivia Rodrigo, who is 18 years old, to the White House to be the government’s “trusted messenger” to endorse vaccines to her young fanbase.
Even recently, however, to the upset of anti-mask and vaccination supporters, was former President Donald Trump’s decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In a recent Alabama rally, the former President was booed by his own supporters after he recommended the vaccine to them.
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As COVID-19 cases continue to rise while the economy and several other industries are getting another shot at normalcy, it would be a gamble for political views to affect the lives and health especially of students in the K-12 program who have since gone back to face-to-face classes. However, political views have always been present in these conversations, and we can only guess how future events, personalities, and phenomena could contribute to changes in the response to this global health crisis.
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