With university cases on the rise, Penn State announces COVID mask policy will continue next semester
Penn State’s indoor masking policy will remain in effect into the spring semester, the university announced Friday, although it stopped short of declaring the policy would last the entire semester.
The current policy that requires everyone to mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status, resumed in early August as COVID-19 cases began to increase. And, with cases again on the rise and concerns surrounding the omicron variant, Penn State has clarified its position that the mask mandate will continue when students return in the spring.
The university’s announcement follows the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends the use of indoor masks for the unvaccinated at all times and for the vaccinated in counties with substantial or high transmission rates.
“University officials will continue to monitor the evolution of the pandemic and the spread of various coronavirus variants and will adjust Penn State’s masking policy when it is safe to do so,” read a university news release.
Centre County, home to Penn State’s flagship campus, remains under “high” transmission. Between Nov. 27 and Dec. 3, 598 COVID cases were reported within the county — more than double the weekly cases (261) from a month ago, between Oct. 30 and Nov. 5.
At University Park, according to Penn State’s COVID-19 dashboard, cases are also on the rise. From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1, there were 58 cases, the highest seven-day total since September. And, at the county’s lone hospital in Mount Nittany Medical Center, emergency department patients were diverted elsewhere between Thursday evening and Friday morning as the hospital dealt with nearly five dozen COVID patients.
“Things are as challenging as they have ever been during the past 21 months of the COVID-19 pandemic,” chief medical officer Dr. Upendra Thaker said in a written statement. “Caring for COVID patients is like operating a hospital within a hospital. It takes extraordinary resources to operate at this capacity.”
According to the university policy, masks are required in all classrooms — regardless of size — as well as in meeting rooms, common areas in residence halls and at all indoor events. Masks may be removed indoors when eating or drinking, and at events when speaking at a podium that is positioned at least 6 feet away from other participants.
The masking policy applies to all Penn State campuses except the College of Medicine, which has its own specific guidance for its community.
