End Mask Mandate on WMU Campus
End Mask Mandate on WMU Campus
In an email sent out to students today (3-3-22) President Montgomery stated that “The CDC and MDHHS reflects significant shifts in the management of the disease. They have shifted the guidance on masking to be a decision based on one’s personal circumstances rather than broad public health requirements.”
President Montgomery also stated in his email that “masks at Western will now only be required in classrooms and indoor instructional spaces.”
As per the FAQ section regarding the new masking guidelines being implemented on 3-7-22, an “instructional space” will be defined as “anywhere indoors that faculty members or instructors are teaching students, regardless of where indoors on campus it occurs.”
From the statistics provided by the university on WMU Covid-19 Dashboard out of 2456 individuals tested on campus, as of data from 2-25-22, there were 11 positive cases that week.
Continuing from the Covid-19 Dashboard 86.6% of the campus have received the primary series of the Covid vaccine and 72.8% have received their booster.
With the updated CDC and MDHHS recommending individual choice on masks and the combination of extremely low positive test rates (0.4% of individuals tested the last week) and high vaccination percentage (72.8%) shouldn’t we be allowed to mask at our discretion?
Why are we allowed to choose only in specific locations on campus? Instructional spaces are mandatory masking but the VDC is optional? Wouldn’t the VDC have, on average, a larger population of students than a single classroom? Not only would there be more students, but they would be talking louder and eating in close proximity. Not to mention that masks are no longer required at the Recreation Center or at Athletic Events, as per the FAQ page regarding the new guidelines. Wouldn’t the students in an instructional space be at far less risk of transmission?
Let individuals mask if they so choose. If an individual chooses to wear a mask, they should be allowed to do so. If an individual chooses not to wear a mask, they should be allowed to do so.