After a short hiatus, some colleges and universities are reimplementing mask mandates. The University of Delaware has reimposed its mask mandate. So has the University of Hawaii, which is mandating masks indoors, excluding situations where one is studying alone or is able to socially distance from others. Brown University in Rhode Island announced on May 25 that it was reimplementing an indoor mask mandate, citing both Providence County’s designation as a higher-risk area and a recent increase in Covid cases among Brown students. In April, George Washington University reimposed its mask mandate for the spring semester. Howard University, also in D.C., even reverted many classes to remote learning in April.
This is likely in response to the daily average number of cases exceeding 100,000 for the first time since February of this year. Following a brief respite from the pandemic restrictions last winter, this presumably means that the “forever pandemic” mindset will continue in some places, and that many students may be starting school with their faces covered once again.
In April, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) announced it would reimpose its mask mandate for public and shared spaces. This was to align with the move by the city of Philadelphia to re-impose its mask mandate in indoor areas, which the city repealed four days later. Despite the city’s reversal, UPenn has maintained its mask mandate. New York University is requiring masks to be worn in indoor places, “(1) where in-person attendance is obligatory; AND (2) that involve exposure to the same individuals over a prolonged period of time.” Similarly, Rochester University and Georgetown University have reinstated their mask mandates because of an increase in Covid cases. Syracuse University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University have also reimplemented their mask mandates, albeit only in classrooms. Columbia even announced that their classroom mask mandate would remain in place for summer sessions. Since the spring semester has already ended at many colleges, many students will not be back on campus until the fall. However, the reimposition of these mask mandates, which took effect at the end of the spring semester, does not bode well for a post-Covid fall semester. Given the fact that many of these colleges only allowed students about one month of freedom before reinstating their mask mandates, these restrictions may very well stay in place through the fall.
As of May 19, 2022, the CDC’s high-transmission areas appear to be in the Northeast, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and in some parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, and throughout Hawaii. Thus, one can see why schools in these areas want to take extra precautions. At the same time, one has to wonder when the restrictions will end. Most of the schools reimplementing restrictions have vaccine mandates, so their students are protected to a large extent. The vaccines are effective at preventing hospitalization and death. Yet even vaccinated people are getting Covid, and the vast majority of students are not at risk of getting seriously ill from the virus. University policies should reflect this reality.
The moves to reimpose mask mandates even run contrary to the counsel of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said in late April that the U.S. is “out of the full-blown explosive pandemic phase.” If Covid is no longer a pandemic, why are our colleges and universities acting as though it is? This sets a precedent for universities’ public-health authorities to take decisive action that will restrict students’ freedoms any time they declare something a crisis. The question now is when this madness will end, if ever.