URI continues to urge students to comply with indoor mask mandates, even after Governor Dan McKee lifted the statewide mandate. PHOTO CREDIT: whatsupmag.com
While Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee lifted the statewide indoor mask mandate on Feb. 11, the University of Rhode Island will continue to require community members to adhere to the original COVID-19 rules set at the beginning of the semester.
The Coronavirus pandemic has introduced online classes, social distancing and regular testing to the students and faculty at URI. The mask mandate has been in place for four semesters now and does not seem to have a definitive end yet.
“The governor lifted indoor masking requirements and proof of vaccination at indoor events on Friday, Feb. 11,” Dave Lavallee, assistant director of External Relations and Communications, said. “He also lifted the state mask mandate for schools, K-12, effective March 4. However, he expects each school district to review its COVID-19 data, number of cases, percentage of those vaccinated or boostered, et cetera, when making decisions about mitigation strategies such as masking and testing.”
According to Lavallee, higher education institutions in Rhode Island are doing the same thing as K-12 schools.
“We are actively reviewing our case rates, booster rates, et cetera, and are looking to reduce our mitigation strategies, such as masking, as soon as it is safe to do so,” Lavallee said. “Last week, the University had very high case numbers, but this week is looking better. If we continue to see a reduction, we are hopeful and optimistic we can adjust our guidelines in some settings.”
The University of Rhode Island community is hopeful some restrictions will be lifted soon. The mandates remain in place to protect the community, but the students are the majority, and thus the main focus, Ellen Reynolds, assistant vice president for Student Health and Wellness and the director of Health Services, said.
“We look at testing, masking, and other mitigation strategies to protect the entire community – students, faculty and staff,” Reynolds said.“Students are the largest part of our community and it makes sense to focus on their overall health.”
Reynolds also mentioned that this is all very subject to change and, like the pandemic, unpredictable. As cases start to go down, the University may ease the restrictions but for the safety of our community, students, faculty and staff, the mask mandate is staying put until further notice.
“We hope that if the cases continue to drop at URI, like they are in the state, to remove mandatory masking in some settings,” Dawn Bergantino, public information specialist of External Relations and Communications, said.
Keeping the mask mandate and requiring vaccinations this far has allowed for a somewhat normal campus life, LaVallee said. The University is able to have in-person classes and activities, less testing and bigger groups in smaller spaces.
“Keeping the mask mandate has helped prevent transmission in classrooms and university offices, as well as allowed URI to have an in-person living/learning environment,” Lavallee said. “Now that we have vaccines, boosters and treatment options, we look forward to decreasing testing and moving to optional masking as soon as the case data and community data supports it.”