8-4-21: Important Campus Mask Policy Update

Dear Wooster Students,

I hope you are well. I’m writing today with an update on our COVID plans and processes. As you know, our priorities for the coming year are to meet our mission for students with vibrant on-campus living and learning, while also acting to keep everyone safe as the COVID pandemic evolves. For the past 16 months, we have followed public health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ohio Department of Health and other expert organizations to help us meet these dual goals. And, our campus community has been fantastic in following that guidance and taking proactive steps including masking and vaccination, to keep themselves and one another safe.

If you have not already done so, please register your vaccine information at https://scotweb.wooster.edu. More details on how to register, which vaccines are accepted, and what to do if you are not able to get a vaccine in your home country are here.

Last week, the CDC issued new COVID masking guidance, based on new science about the Delta variant of COVID which is now common across the U.S. They strongly recommend that everyone wear a mask indoors in shared/public spaces where the county COVID transmission is substantial or high. Yesterday, Wayne County moved into the “substantial” transmission level. Therefore, effective tomorrow, masks will be required in all indoor campus spaces, with the exception of individual private residence hall rooms and private offices. We know that wearing masks can be inconvenient, and we will review this policy regularly in light of CDC and other public health guidance, as well as county, campus and local circumstances. (Note that the CDC guidelines continue to recommend social distancing of six feet for unvaccinated people, but distancing is not necessary for those who are vaccinated.)

As always, we will continue to share updated policies for COVID on https://wooster.edu/guide/.

The Dean of Students’ team will be sending you more information about move–in plans, including testing requirements very soon. In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful last few weeks of summer, and look forward to seeing you soon!

Best,

Sarah Bolton
President

Posted in Community Message on August 4, 2021.