President of Northwestern State University of Louisiana Marcus Jones announced on Feb. 15 that the mask mandate on campus would be lifted.

KiAmber Elise Davis, a senior general studies major, was among the students who still wished to continue wearing their masks.

“I will still be wearing mine because I don’t think it’s all over yet and I’ve gotten used to wearing it,” Davis said.

However, Carletta Boyette Kirl, a senior nursing major, was glad to see the mandate go.

“Covid is here to stay. We need to learn to live with it, just as we have every other medical threat,” Kirl said.

Kirl stated that she believes continuing to wear a mask should be a personal choice.

Octavia Young, a senior nursing major, said that she wanted to be absolutely sure COVID-19 was no longer a threat before she chose to take her mask off.

Other students may choose to wear their masks in specific situations, such as Santana-Lin Lewis, a freshman biology major.

“I don’t wear mine unless I’m in a class or around a big group of people,” Lewis said.

“Personally, I’m still going to wear mine because we are still in a pandemic. I have lost both of my grandparents last year because of COVID,” Haley McGavin, a freshman pre-med biology major, said. “COVID is very serious and not just your normal cold.”