I commend the Urbana School Board for voting to require masks in our schools. This important step will help keep students, teachers, and support staff safe and help stop the spread of Covid-19 and its more contagious variants in our community. According to the CDC, only about 39% of Champaign County residents are fully vaccinated. When the CDC announced in May that fully-vaccinated people could stop wearing masks, it seemed life might soon return to normal. For the first time in over a year we could shop safely inside stores. But inside almost no one wore a mask. Many of the unvaccinated 60+ percent also decided to shed their masks. I hold them partly responsible for the spread of the Delta variant and the continued need for masks. Though fully vaccinated, I will wear a mask inside public places until this virus is under control. Please support our school board’s efforts to keep our community safe.

Thank you,

Jo Marenberg

Urbana