Everyone’s an expert. Yet, no one has the answers. What to do about COVID remains a hot and controversial topic. It continues to divide us. The conversation about masks and winter sports is trending. We need to find some common ground. The title of this piece is a question that I entertain on a daily basis.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health passed an order. It went into effect on September 7th. This order mandated and provided guidelines for School Entities with regards to face coverings. As far as I know- this order has not been lifted. I have read the entire document, and my opinions are irrelevant. I am just going by what’s on the paper.

Each teacher, child/ student, staff, or visitor working, attending, or visiting a School Entity shall wear a face-covering indoors, regardless of vaccination status, except as set forth in Section 3. A School Entity is defined as a public PREK-12 school, a brick and mortar or cyber charter, a private or parochial school, a career and technical center, an intermediate unit, a PA PreK Counts program, Head Start, Preschool Early Intervention program, or Family Center.

The order does provide some rather vague exceptions to the face-covering requirements. I wanted to focus on a few in particular. All alternatives to a face covering, including the use of a face shield, should be exhausted before an individual is excepted from the order. Section 3. Part G. One is except when an individual is engaged in an activity that cannot be performed while wearing a mask, such as eating and drinking, or playing an instrument that would be obstructed by the face covering or participating in high intensity aerobic or anaerobic activities, including during a physical education class in a well-ventilated location and able to maintain a physical distance of six feet from all other individuals. Section 3. Part H. One is except when a child/student is participating in a sports practice, activity or event, whether indoors or outdoors.

Here is where it gets interesting. The Department of Health makes several suggestions. Section 4. A School Entity must require and enforce the requirement that all teachers, children/ students, staff, and visitors (subject to the exceptions in Section 3) wear a face-covering indoors, regardless of whether this order is reflected in a School Entity’s Health and Safety Plan. Section 5. A School Entity SHOULD NOT enforce face-covering requirements when there is an exception under Section 3 or if it is unsafe to do so. A School Entity SHOULD NOT restrain, use force, or physically remove teachers, children/ students, staff, or visitors who refuse to comply with this order when it would not otherwise be legal to do so. What?

So I just received an update from the PIAA District Four Chairman. He forwarded the order and highlighted Section 3. H. WHEN A CHILD/ STUDENT IS PARTICIPATING IN A SPORTS PRACTICE, ACTIVITY OR EVENT, WHETHER INDOORS OR OUTDOORS. The Chair also clarified. “Athletes participating in events do not need to wear a mask indoors. If they are not participating (sitting on the bench), they SHOULD be masked.”

I will keep you in the loop, sports fans — lots of moving parts. No one wants to make a decision, nor does anyone want to enforce it. I, too don’t know the answers. To be continued. Stay safe. Cheers.