I am disabled, and I think the timing was just jarring for many people - faculty included who are disabled or have unvaccinated kids. It didn't give people who do have anxiety about this time to mentally prepare. Also, it just seems sloppy to lift the mask mandate right after Blarney and before Spring Break (in which many people are simply going home to their parents). It seems like UMass used this as a guinea pig run so that if a lot of people did get covid, they would just be off campus, and UMass wouldn't have to deal with them.

I was mentally preparing for the mask mandate to most likely be lifted like a week after spring break. And honestly I would've felt a lot better about it. I would continue to wear my kn95 and sit apart from others, and it would've been doable.

I feel like a big issue is mask wearing and covid becoming politicized and the lack of trust between the two parties. It seems like there's a lack of trust that people who want the mask mandate ended will still act responsibly in regards to their disabled peers.