Warning tag on school masks upset some Collier County parents

A Collier County School District face covering has some parents upset due to the warning on its tag.

It reads: “Not intended to prevent or eliminate exposure to any disease, infection or communicable disease.”

“Modern science tells us that these masks were never designed to prevent the spread of diseases, so I wasn’t surprised that it was on there because it is true,” said parent Chadwin Taylor.

“That’s why this tag exists; it’s on here because it does not help with those things. This is a scare tactic and a control tactic … which is unthinkable in a free country.”

But medical experts still stress the importance of wearing a mask. Robert Hawkes, director of Florida Gulf Coast University’s physician assistant program, said masking up does have its benefits and there have been studies to prove it.

“They have been able to use ultraviolet light, they have been able to use laser light and determine that when people actually sneeze or cough, it does decrease the spread of the virus … which normally without a mask could go as far as six feet or even greater,” Hawkes said.

The school district said, in part, “This is not a district disclaimer. The manufacturer placed the disclaimer tag on the masks. It does not change our approach to addressing the pandemic.”