The CDC recently rolled back mask requirements for fully vaccinated individuals. Colorado, after operating under a mask mandate for almost a year, soon followed suit. However, not much will change at DU before the end of spring quarter.
The CDC’s website states that those who are fully vaccinated are allowed to forgo a mask and social distancing unless otherwise dictated by federal, state or local regulations.
An individual is considered fully vaccinated if it has been two weeks since they received the first dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine or the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.
On May 14, Colorado Governor Jared Polis amended the state’s mask regulations in an executive order. The order states that fully vaccinated Colorado citizens can go without masks in public indoor spaces—depending on the rules and regulations of businesses, cities and school districts.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock then lifted Denver’s mask mandate in order to align with the state’s mask regulations, allowing private businesses to decide whether or not they will require masks.
Four days later, DU’s Office of the Chancellor released an email stating that any changes to mask policies will be announced on May 27.
When asked about the reason for this delay, DU’s COVID Response Coordinator Sara Watamura explained that DU does not want to be overly reactive to changing policies or make hasty revisions to a successful mask policy.
According to her, the current mask policy has kept COVID-19 cases consistently low on campus and allows students to attend many in-person classes and events. An outbreak so close to the end of the year would not only disrupt finals but also graduation ceremonies for the class of 2021.
Watamura stated that the next two weeks will act as an observation period so students and community members can adjust to the recent changes made by the CDC and state. She also described a fear that the ending of the mask mandate could potentially contribute to a surge in cases.
“The goal is to maintain no cases on campus when people are in circulation in Denver with the lack of requirements,” said Watamura.
These two weeks will also act as a period of social adjustment. After almost a year of adhering to a mask mandate, many are still uncomfortable with the idea of not wearing masks.
Whether or not DU will revise its mask policy also depends on the campus vaccination rate. Currently, about 45% of the student population is not yet vaccinated. Watamura believes this is most likely an administrative issue related to students not submitting their vaccine paperwork.
“Graduating students probably don’t feel compelled to upload vaccination records,” said Watamura.
Although fully vaccinated DU students cannot ditch the mask quite yet, COVID-19 guidelines are a little looser. For those who are fully vaccinated and have uploaded a completed COVID-19 vaccination card, testing frequency has been decreased by 50% and fieldwork for conducting research can resume. Additionally, vaccinated students don’t have to quarantine if they travel or are exposed to COVID-19.
DU students can expect an email from the Office of the Chancellor detailing any changes in COVID-19 policies later this week.
