Dierks Bentley has become the latest big name in country music to question the mask mandates in schools.
We saw the Twitter explosion after Carrie Underwood liked a tweet opposing mask mandates in schools (yes, she liked a tweet and it sent the internet into a frenzy), and now Dierks Bentley is opening up the conversation as well.
Citing a New York Times opinion piece titled, “Let Kids Take Their Masks Off After the Omicron Surge,” Dierks shared a screenshot of the article with the caption:
“Right? Seems like common sense. Thoughts… “
He followed it up with a screen shot of the article to provide more context and facilitate more conversation:
“Now is the time for conversation”
The article calls for the end of mask mandates once COVID number return to pre-Omicron levels, citing that there are inherent downsides to masking in a school environment.
Dr. Elissa Perkins, the director of infectious disease management in the emergency department of the Boston Medical Center, says:
“I think it would be naïve to not acknowledge that there are downsides of masks. I know some of that data is harder to come by because those outcomes are not as discrete as Covid or not-Covid.
But from speaking with pediatricians, from speaking with learning specialists, and also from speaking with parents of younger children especially, there are significant issues related to language acquisition, pronunciation, things like that.
And there are very clear social and emotional side effects in the older kids.”
And since vaccines are widely available for children over 5 now, as well as the higher quality N-95 masks (for anyone who still wants to wear one), the article argues that it’s time to start considering an end to the mask mandate once Omicron drops.
It also reminds people, perhaps most importantly, that the COVID conversation is a nuanced one, with pros and cons to every course of action, but it’s a conversation that needs to happen nonetheless.
Dierks’ post received affirming comments from fellow artists like Mitchell Tenpenny, Randy Houser, Logan Mize, John Rich, Carrie Underwood’s husband Mike Fisher, and more.
Of course, Dierks weighing in is significant because he tends to stay away from outright political conversations, more often opting to lead by example. He’s also a father of three.
He also appears to have canceled a number of shows in February and March, however no official announcement has been made.
But as expected, the posts have already started to circulate on Twitter, with some even wondering if he was hacked.
Dierks is set to play the Grand Ole Opry tonight, January 29th, 2022.
