On Feb. 16, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a law that ended mask mandates in public schools throughout Virginia. Since taking office on Jan. 15, Youngkin has promised he would lift the statewide school mask mandate, so this law came as no surprise. Soon after, EMU students received the announcement that our campus will also be lifting our mask policy.
On Friday, Feb. 25, EMU President Susan Huxman released a campus-wide email regarding the lift of the mask policy.
“After careful consultation with the executive leadership team, CMPT, and area school and city officials, this welcome change in COVID mitigation follows the positive health trends and new relaxed safety protocols in the area. New guidelines released by the CDC are in alignment with this change.”
The new mask policy will officially begin Mar. 7. Though masks will no longer be required in any campus buildings, professors still have the choice of whether or not they’ll require masks during their classes.
The message and change of mask policy has prompted many mixed emotions. Some students are excited to go back to some amount of normalcy. For many EMU students, this will be the first time they’ll be able to experience college without the need to wear a mask. Others are worried about the potential resurgence of mass COVID-19 cases on campus.
Sophomore Indigo Gott is one of the many students with mixed feelings on the lifted mask policy. “My gut reaction was that I was really excited about it, and then I was like, ‘wait.’”
They continued, “I think EMU has generally handled COVID stuff pretty well, but I also wasn’t expecting it to be lifted this soon. It feels like I haven’t had any time to process the anticipation of it.”
There is also concern over the timing of the new policy. On Mar. 7, when the new policy begins, EMU students will be off campus for spring break. Many students spend their break traveling, hanging out with friends and family, and generally just being out and about. Being exposed to so many people has the potential to bring COVID-19 back to campus. Less masks could mean the virus can spread easier. Susan Huxman hopes we “will continue to honor our COVID CARE practice: ‘Care for self, care for others, care for community.’”
