Handful Of Universities Bring Back Mask Mandates As Covid Cases Increase

A number of prominent universities have announced in the past few days that they will reinstate masking requirements along with other mitigation measures following a recent increase in the number of Covid-19 cases on campus, particularly among students. Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and Rice were among the universities making such announcements.

The new outbreaks, reported at several institutions across the country, appear to be due to a combination of factors: the relaxing of masking requirements that took place at many colleges in February and March, the resumption of more social activities and large gathering on campus, and the unusually high transmissibility of the BA.2 subvariant of the highly infectious Omicron strain. In a relatively short period of time, BA.2 has caused a new surge of cases in Europe, and it’s become the dominant version of the coronavirus in the United States.

Georgetown University

Georgetown University announced it was putting a mask requirement back in place temporarily on April 7. Beginning on that date, everyone will be required to wear a mask indoors on the Main and Medical Center campuses, “except when in their personal residence or private office or while actively eating or drinking. This requirement will be in effect until further notice.”

In addition, Georgetown is requiring all undergraduate students to take a PCR test after Easter break the week of April 18, unless they have tested positive within the previous 90 days. Ranit Mishori, Georgetown’s Chief Public Health Officer, said the measures are in response to a “significant” increase in COVID-19 cases, mainly among undergraduate students.” The masking requirement will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Johns Hopkins University

On April 6, Johns Hopkins University sent a message to its undergraduate students saying that it was:

• temporarily reinstating masking requirements for students, staff, faculty, contractors, visitors, and guests in common areas of the residence halls, in university dining facilities, (except when actively eating or drinking), and in classrooms;
• moving to twice-weekly testing for all undergraduate students for at least the current week and the next two weeks (through April 22). The University indicated it would then re-evaluate and determine whether the increased testing remains necessary.

Rice Univeristy

Citing “a significant rise in the number of positive cases reported in our community” in the past few days, Rice University also brought back a masking requirement this week. Rice said there had been “about 145” new cases, over 90% of which were undergraduates, with about half occurring in two residential colleges. It added that while most of the people who tested positive had symptoms, it knew of “no serious illness among Rice community members.”

As a result, Rice said that “effective immediately, everyone in a classroom is required to wear masks regardless of their vaccination status, except for instructors while lecturing.” It also encouraged – but did not require – “everyone to carry masks at all times on campus and use their best judgment on when it’s appropriate to wear a mask.

Updates: Columbia University; American University

On April 10, Columbia University announced that, beginning Monday, April 11, it would require students and faculty to wear non-cloth masks in all classrooms. The mandate applies only to classrooms and is expected to remain in effect through the end of the semester.

This announcement comes just under one month after Columbia phased out its mask mandate, citing low infection rates on campus.

American University said on Monday, April 11, that it would once again require masks in all buildings on its campus.

The new mask guidelines will take effect April 12 and require that masks be worn in campus buildings except when people are alone in private offices, inside dorm rooms with roommates or when actively eating or drinking.

Elsewhere

Other universities reporting recent, significant upticks in their Covid-19 cases include Cornell University, University of Michigan. and the University of Georgia. The BA.2 subvariant accounted for the majority of the new cases.

As colleges and universities turn the corner and head for the end of the spring semester, it remains to be seen how many will try to contain new outbreaks of the virus by maintaining their current mitigation policies or by reverting to masking and other requirements that many had ended only weeks earlier. But the developments of last week show once again that the virus is a stubborn, relentless enemy and that campuses still remain vulnerable to spikes in cases, even though their severity now appears to be substantially diminished.