Late yesterday afternoon (Feb. 25) the CDC held a press conference in which the organization recommended a change regarding masking. When we sent our message late yesterday afternoon, the new framework announced by the CDC had not been updated on the CDC’s website.
The CDC’s update was made yesterday evening, and based on the updated map and framework Washington County is listed as Low, which means that there is limited impact on hospital capacity, low cases of severe disease, and low cases generally. At this stage of the CDC’s framework, masking indoors is not required.
Effective immediately, the College will move to a mask optional policy for public indoor settings with some exceptions:
- Masking is still required in all academic buildings, including the library. This requirement will continue to be discussed throughout the next week, with updates to be provided as applicable.
- Masking may be required during appointments in non-academic buildings at the discretion of the person or group holding the meeting.
- Masking may be required at campus events regardless of the setting, at the discretion of the event organizer(s).
We request that you continue to carry a mask with you so that you are prepared for situations where masking is required.
Please know that we are continuing to monitor both the CDC guidelines and the safety conditions in the City of Washington and Washington County. These guidelines may need to change quickly depending on that information.
Additionally, we will still maintain our COVID-19 protocols throughout this process if someone tests positive for COVID-19.
As always, we encourage everyone to be mindful of maintaining best practices for personal health and safety and to make decisions that are best for themselves and their families. We also support and respect any individual that wishes to continue to wear a mask in public settings for their personal health and safety.