Opinion: Mask Mandates in New Jersey Should Go, More So After Second Shot

There will soon be six states — Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, Connecticut and Alabama — where you don't have to wear a mask.

Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee never mandated them statewide. But here in New Jersey, where we have more COVID-19 deaths per capita than anywhere else, we're mandated to wear masks.

I've never been a fan of wearing a mask. I wear them because they are mandated in many public places and out of consideration for those who are afraid to be around people who don't wear them. We're getting enough aggravation from the government in New Jersey without aggravating each other. But the time has come when we should all agree the mask has to go and that time should be after you get your second vaccine shot.

If the experts are saying that the vaccines will protect you up to 95% and you test negative for COVID, then why on Earth should you have to wear a mask?

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Not only are you not going to get it, but you also don't have any to give. Once you get the second shot, you should be free to move about New Jersey without wearing a mask. Otherwise, what's the point of getting the vaccine in the first place?

How will we know that people without masks have gotten their second shot? Maybe they can show them their Facebook post or sticker, or perhaps they give you a card that says so after they give you the shot. Perhaps you can sew the letter "V" onto your clothes. There's now talk of a vaccine passport, see your card after you get the second shot.

The whole point of getting the vaccine and going through the possible pain from the second shot is so that we can go back to normal. If I'm OK with being 95% protected from getting the virus and I can't give it to you, then there's no reason why I should be forced to wear a mask, and neither should you. It's as simple as that.