As many students head back into the classrooms this fall, they face situations that looked and felt different before COVID all started. For many students younger and older wearing a mask, wondering about getting sick and worrying about loved ones with COVID could affect their mental and physical health.

New guidance from U.S. health officials urging even fully vaccinated Americans to mask up indoors in areas where coronavirus transmission is high still won’t persuade nearly 25% of American adults to regularly wear a mask, a Morning Consult poll, conducted July 31 to August 2, 2021, among 2,200 U.S.